Vegetarian Barley Paella

My vegetarian meals this month are turning into vegan awesomeness.  Not intentionally, it just keeps happening.

Paella is traditionally a rice dish.  I happen to have more barley than I thought I did, so that's what I'm using today.  When googling, I found recipes from medical websites recommending this idea for cancer patients.  That's encouraging, because it means it's generally anti-inflammatory, which helps a number of common conditions.  This isn't gluten-free like rice paella, but only about 10% of the population actually has an issue with wheat and/or gluten.  For the rest, GF is about weight loss and glycemic control.

I made an effort to keep this one-pan.  Paella traditionally is, but that's because rice cooks considerably faster than barley.  Some recipes I found have you par-cook the barley in a separate pot.  I would have done that if I wanted to save the barley water, but I don't see needing it right now.

I started with the recipe from Delectable Planet.  As I was copying it for easy reference (the formatting on the website could be better), I found several issues with the method that I hope I fixed.  Also, there was no salt in the recipe.  Maybe because of the capers, which I don't like and skipped.  I don't use a lot of salt, but you do need some.  And I changed a lot of the veggies.

Most months, I don't go through even one can of broth.  I only keep one or two in the pantry.  This month, I'm using a lot.  I have been making vegetable stock so far, theming it with whatever herbs I plan to use, and re-simmering it with chicken bones out of the freezer if I want to chicken-ize it.  You can use chicken stock if you don't care about it being vegetarian.  That would give it more body and a slightly fattier mouthfeel.

1 Tb olive oil
*1 C pearl barley, well-rinsed
1 C diced onion
*1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp each turmeric, cumin, and kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste
1 C dry white wine
*2 C unsalted vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 C fresh or frozen peas
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, caps only, quartered
*4 oz artichoke hearts, quartered
1 C cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
*Kalamata olives and chopped herbs for garnish

1.  In a wide, oven-safe skillet or pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium.  My largest skillet isn't oven-safe, and probably doesn't fit in the oven anyway, so I used the soup pot.  Rinse the barley very well.  I rigged up a strainer over a bowl so I could see when the water got clearer.  If you don't do this, the barley will become overly sticky instead of rice-like.  Cook onion, garlic, barley, and seasonings in the oil, stirring frequently, until the onion is wilted.  You want the barley to toast, not burn.

2.  Deglaze pan with the wine and allow the alcohol to cook off, like you were making risotto.  Add the stock all at once, not like risotto, and stir in the peas.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 25 minutes over low heat.  Near the end, start preheating the oven to 350º.

3.  Taste the broth and adjust seasonings if necessary, then smooth out the top again.  Arrange mushrooms, artichokes, and tomatoes evenly over the barley, which will still have some liquids visible.  That's fine, and the mushrooms are going to give off a lot more.  Cover and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  Remove lid and continue to roast until most of the liquid has boiled off.

4.  Allow paella to sit 5 minutes at room temperature, to firm up a bit, before plating and garnishing.  I used cilantro because I had some, but parsley is more traditional.

Difficulty rating  :)