Vegetables with Pearl Barley in Pots
Start by covering the dried mushrooms with boiling water before you touch anything else — they’re what give this pot dish its woodland umami, something fresh button mushrooms simply can’t deliver. While they swell, you have time to dice the pumpkin, celery, and onion and fry the vegetables in small batches in a very hot pan.
This is cozy country cooking, with cooked pearl barley as the base and pumpkin lending a gentle sweetness. The standout detail is the topping: breadcrumbs fried in butter with paprika, scattered over the pots before baking so they form a golden, crisp lid over the tender grain. Smetana — Ukrainian full-fat sour cream, for which any thick full-fat sour cream is a fine stand-in — binds everything and adds a creamy tang.
Two rules that impatience tends to break: cook the barley fully soft ahead of time, because in the pot it only warms through rather than finishing; and fry the vegetables in batches, since a crowded pan makes them weep and steam instead of browning. Canned white beans are a handy swap for turnip — add them with the barley. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 15 to 20 minutes. If prepping ahead, store without the crumb topping and add it only before that final bake so it stays crunchy.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Over medium heat, fry the breadcrumbs in butter until golden. Remove from the heat and mix with the paprika.
Cover the mushrooms with boiling water and let them swell.
Cut the pumpkin, celery, red onion, and turnip (if using) into small cubes. Mix with the thyme leaves and fry in small batches in a very hot pan in vegetable oil until golden.
Rinse the mushrooms well, chop coarsely, and add to the fried vegetables along with the cooked barley and sour cream (if using canned beans, add them at this stage). Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the vegetable mixture among the pots or baking dishes. Pour in the broth. Sprinkle with the paprika breadcrumbs and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 15-20 minutes.
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