Mushroom barley pie
By Tali Simon | January 16, 2012
Ever wanted to eat your mushroom barley soup sandwiched between layers of puff pastry? Thought so.
Because that’s really what this tastes like.
And it is SO good.
I was doing that “surprise me” thing on Smitten Kitchen last week when I came across this. I quickly bookmarked it, intending to make it for Shabbos.
Except then we got invited out for Shabbos lunch. And for Friday night.
I know. My life is so hard sometimes.
I mean, I had this pretty little carton of mushrooms sitting in the fridge. I knew they wouldn’t wait a week to be used in a mushroom barley pie for the following Shabbos.
I thought about making the pie right away and freezing it, but I was afraid it wouldn’t be as creamy after cooking, freezing, defrosting, reheating, and some time on the plata.
So we had it for dinner tonight. Which is a good thing, because now I get to convince all of you to make this baby ASAP.
Actually, there’s nothing babyish about it. When I opened the oven to take it out, the words that came out of my mouth were, “Hello, mama!”
(This prompted a comment from my husband, wondering whether I was implying that his mother-in-law is, in fact, a mushroom barley pie.)
Anyway.
You really do need to make this. It’s a terrific winter dish — hearty and creamy (don’t leave out the cheese!) and filling…speaking of filling, I could eat the mushroom-barley-cheese filling plain. Like, all of it.
There was a lot of talk in the comments section on SK about what might be lacking in this dish. I found that a few tablespoons of soy sauce did the trick: brightened up the filling without covering up the natural flavors of the mushrooms and barley.
Oh, and one more thing: This recipe is so easy. So it’s completely delicious, satisfying, and simple to make.
Yep, it’s a keeper.
Ingredients Directions 1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add barley, and reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, 35-40 minutes. Drain any excess water and set aside. 2. As the barley cooks, melt butter and oil in a large skillet. Gently saute garlic and scallions, stirring frequently. When garlic begins to brown, add mushrooms and saute another few minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the barley. 3. Preheat oven to 400 F/200 C. 4. Add cottage cheese, soy sauce, and black pepper. Mix, taste, and add additional soy sauce or black pepper if needed. 5. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut a strip of puff pastry the size of your dream pie and place it over the paper. Depending on the size of your pastry roll and the size of your first layer of dough, you will be able to cover that bottom layer either halfway or all the way with a second layer. (My second layer was half-size, and I laid it over the center of the pie to reinforce the middle.) 6. Spoon the filling onto the pastry dough, leaving an inch or so of space all the way around. 7. Cover your pie with the remaining pastry dough and carefully squeeze the edges closed, crimping with your fingers (or a fork) around the edges. 8. Cut a few small steam vents in the top of pie and brush with the beaten egg. Decorate with sesame seeds if you like. Bake 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, with my simplified directions
Serves about 6 (maybe up to 8, if you’re lucky)
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