Baked barley with caramelized onions and mushrooms

Cold weather actually allowed me to take to the stove this weekend and I wanted something a bit fall-ish. This recipe for baked barley with mushrooms and caramelized onions is originally from Cooking Light. Click here to get the recipe.

It's basically a big pile of mushrooms and onions, slow cooked to perfection. You're supposed to use a mix of button mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms, but I only had button mushrooms, sadly.

A good excuse to use my favorite Dansk dutch oven

Add broth and barley and bake for about an hour and what you get is almost a risotto, but without all the stirring.



It's not bad, but it also won't blow your mind. It's warm, and comforting, and surprisingly good for you, although just a little lacking in flavor. However, I ate the leftovers for lunch and it re-heats nicely - I actually think I liked it better the next day. I don't think it will make the permanent rotation, but it could be a nice little side dish for Thanksgiving.