TOASTED BARLEY WITH MINCED MEAT

Toasted Barley With Minced Meat image

Provided by Mark Bittman

Time 30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound ground meat: beef, pork, chicken or turkey
1 1/2 cups pearl barley
Salt and pepper to taste
10 leaves fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon dried
Large pinch saffron, optional
3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade, warmed
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish, optional

Steps:

Put 1 tablespoon butter or oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. When butter melts or oil is hot, add meat in bits, breaking it up with your fingers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat browns, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately add remaining butter or oil, along with barley, to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until barley is toasted and lightly browned, at least 10 minutes.
Sprinkle barley with salt and pepper and stir in sage and saffron, if using. Add chicken stock all at once, stir a couple of times, and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and cover. Cook about 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and barley is tender. Mixture should still be moist, but there should not be any liquid visible. Stir in reserved meat, taste and adjust seasoning, garnish, and serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 453, UnsaturatedFat 10 grams, Carbohydrate 59 grams, Fat 14 grams, Fiber 13 grams, Protein 26 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 735 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams