It’s Barley Time

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By Raeanne Sarazan, R.D.
Photos by Scott Little
Food styling by Dianna Nolin

Barley is a whole grain you should get to know better. It is chock-full of vitamins, minerals, and soluble fiber and can reduce your cholesterol about 10 percent.

The soluble fiber contained in barley helps prevent the cholesterol in the foods you eat from being absorbed into your bloodstream. According to a small study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, those who added 1-1⁄2 to 3 cups of cooked barley each day to a heart-healthy diet reduced their total cholesterol by 9 percent and their bad cholesterol (LDL) by 11 percent. Barley’s delicious nutty flavor and wonderful chewy texture make it easy to include in your food choices. These recipes will give you a place to start.
           
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently confirmed the benefits of barley by giving food companies the go-ahead to make a new health claim on foods containing barley, as long as the barley-containing product provides at least 0.75 gram of soluble fiber per serving.
           
Health experts recommend that you eat 25 to 30 grams of fiber each day by choosing a variety of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

How Barley Ranks in Fiber
(Fiber content of 1⁄2 cup cooked grains)
Pearl barley: 3 grams
Oatmeal: 2 grams
Brown rice: 1.75 grams
Couscous: 1 gram
Long-grain white rice: less than 1 gram

How to Cook with Barley
Pearl barley: Pearl barley works well as the main ingredient in casseroles and salads and makes a great addition to soups and stews. It also can be used as a ricelike side dish—either plain or as a pilaf, risotto, or stuffing.
           
For an extra flavor boost, toast uncooked pearl barley in a skillet, without oil, until lightly browned. Or, instead of water, cook it in flavorful liquids, such as stock, broth, or lemon or orange juice. For added zing, stir in some lemon or orange zest at the end of cooking.
           
Pearl barley triples in amount when cooked, so to make 3 cups cooked, start with 1 cup uncooked. Pearl barley usually takes 45 to 50 minutes to cook, while quick-cooking barley takes 10 to 12 minutes.

Hull-less barley: Hull-less barley, which takes as much as double the time to cook as pearl barley, can be used in most recipes that call for pearl barley.

Barley flour: You can substitute barley flour for one-third to one-half of the all-purpose flour in most baked goods. Don’t substitute more than half, however, because barley flour is low in gluten so it needs to be combined with all-purpose flour to achieve good results. Try it in muffins, pancakes, and quick breads to boost the amount of fiber. It adds a subtle nutty flavor to the finished product.

Barley flakes: You can substitute barley flakes for rolled oats in homemade granola and bread, or cook it like a hot cereal.

Barley grits: Try barley grits in recipes calling for regular grits or add them to your favorite polenta recipe.