Barley with bacon and mushrooms

For thousands of years, porridge has been a staple of everyday life in this country. Often made simply from barley or other leftover grains boiled in water, it was easy to prepare by the fire.

Today we tend to associate porridge with sweet dishes, but historically it was often made with meat, vegetables, fish and herbs. Porridge was therefore a nourishing main meal that could be eaten morning, noon or night.

Barley with bacon and mushrooms

This dish gets its creaminess from butter and cheese, which are added just before serving. You can replace the vegetables with others or simply use whatever you have to hand, and you can leave out the bacon entirely for a vegetarian version.

Procedure

Put the mushrooms in a small bowl and pour boiling water over them. Leave to soak for 30 minutes until soft.

Fry the bacon in a deep pan or pot. Add the thyme and mustard seeds and stir. Add the barley and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the vegetables and fry for another 2 minutes before adding the soaked mushrooms and salt. Stir well and pour in most of the water or stock so that the mixture is covered. Bring to the boil.

Cook for about 40 minutes. Stir regularly and make sure the barley doesn’t dry out or stick to the bottom. If it does, add a little more liquid. When the barley grains are tender and the liquid has reduced, add the butter and cheese. Stir and season to taste.

Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

Ingredients

4 persons
  • 1 handful dried mushrooms
  • 125 g bacon, diced
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 4-6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 300 g barley, e.g. pearl barley
  • 2 parsnips, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 litre water or stock
  • 100 g hard cheese
  • ca. 50 g butter
  • Salt

Cook’s notes

The dried mushrooms can be replaced with fresh ones.

Make a vegetarian version by omitting the bacon and using cheese with microbial rennet.