Italian Sausage, Portobello And Barley Pilaf
serves 4-6
This one-pot meal is built with quintessentially woodsy fall ingredients. It can be cooked ahead of time, refrigerated and reheated before serving (you may need to add a little liquid when reheating). If you’re into it, a drizzle of white truffle oil at the end would up the decadence factor.
4 portobello mushrooms, stemmed and cubed
1 medium red onion, diced
2 links Italian sausage, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup barley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Freshly grated parmesan
prep: 40 minutes
total: 1 hour 40 minutes
knife
cutting board
grater
Dutch oven with lid
1. Preheat the oven to 350F with the rack in the middle position. Wipe the dirt off the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Prep the mushrooms, onion and sausage.
2. Heat the butter in a Dutch oven (or large sauté pan) over medium-high heat. Once it melts and bubbles, add the onions and stir. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes, keeping an eye on the heat so that the onions don’t brown too much. Add the sausage and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, 6-8 minutes.
3. Add the barley and stir to coat with the sausage and vegetables. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid evaporates, 4-6 more minutes. Add the herbs, red pepper flakes and chicken broth and stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the pilaf to a simmer.
4. If you’re using a Dutch oven, put the lid on and put it into the oven. Otherwise, carefully pour everything into a baking dish, cover, and place in the oven. Bake until the barley has absorbed almost all of the liquid, about 1 hour. Finish by stirring in the heavy cream, a generous amount of grated parmesan and more chopped fresh herbs if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
