Serves 4 with leftovers.
Ingredients
4 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 each medium onion, carrot, turnip and celery stalk, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups pearl barley
Bay leaf
1 medium winter squash
1 medium golden beet
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup golden raisins
A few stems of fresh thyme
Some gratings of Parmesan cheese or another hard, salty cheese
Directions
In a medium saucepan, warm stock over medium heat.
In a large, deep saute pan, heat butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high until bubbling. Add onion, carrot, turnip and celery and cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and barley, and stir to coat. Add bay leaf and half of the stock. Reduce heat to medium and stir slowly until stock is absorbed.
Continue adding warm stock, about a half-cup at a time, stirring frequently with each addition, until barley is just al dente, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and chop squash and beet. In medium saute pan, heat remaining olive oil over medium- high heat. Add squash, beet, cranberries and raisins and cook until soft, about 20 minutes.
Add squash mixture to barley mixture along with a few leaves from the thyme stems. Grate cheese over the top and serve.
