Plain barley, cooked any way you would rice, is fine stuff (make sure you buy pearl barley; the wholegrain variety takes forever to cook). But barley with some butter and dried mushrooms is just a fantastic midwinter side dish. Porcini mushrooms are best bought in large quantities; a pound might cost $40 or $50 but will last for years, whereas 1/2 ounce might cost $4 ($128 per pound) and last you a day.

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　1 ounce dried porcini

　　4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter or extra virgin olive oil

　　1 1/2 cups pearl barley

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　2 1/2 cups stock, preferably homemade (pages 160–163), or water

　　Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

　　

Step 1

Put the porcini in a bowl and cover with hot water. Put 2 tablespoons of the butter or oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; a minute later, add the barley along with some salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the barley is coated, just a minute or two. Add the stock (you can substitute 1/2 cup porcini soaking liquid for part of the stock if you like), cover, and adjust the heat so the mixture simmers. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the barley is tender and the liquid absorbed.

　　

Step 2

When the mushrooms are tender, drain them. Trim them of any hard parts and, if necessary, slice them (usually they’re already in quite small pieces so this won’t be necessary). Put the remaining butter or oil in a small skillet over medium heat and toss the porcini in this briefly, sprinkling them with a little salt and pepper.

　　

Step 3

When the barley is done, top it with the sautéed porcini, being sure to get all the mushroom juices (and butter or oil) out of the skillet. Garnish and serve hot.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.