Barley porridge, stewed with pomegranate sauce and Savoy cabbage
6 servings
45 minutes
Barley has a reputation for being tough, tasteless, and government-issued. Not porridge, but shrapnel. But that's only if you cook it without due respect and a glimmer of imagination. In fact, if you pre-soak the groats and fry them well before cooking, there will be no internal dryness or external sliminess left in it. And having soaked up the sweetish narsharab, the government-issued groats finally soften, shyly turn pink and become terribly interesting . Also in this recipe, Savoy cabbage (which can be replaced with spinach or pak choi) and pine nuts are mixed with the barle
1
Finely chop the onion and sauté in olive oil until soft in a deep skillet. Add cumin and sugar, along with thinly sliced cabbage.
- Onion: 100 g
- Olive oil: 50 ml
- Cumin (zira): 0.3 teaspoon
- Sugar: 1 tablespoon
- Savoy cabbage: 300 g
2
Cook for 7–10 minutes, then add pearl barley, pour in 1 liter of water, and let it simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. About 10 minutes before the end, season with narsharab, salt, and pepper.
- Pearl barley: 300 g
- Narsharab sauce: 1 tablespoon
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
3
When serving, mix in pine nuts and any greens - from basil to cilantro, from parsley to romaine.
- Pine nuts: 20 g