How to Make Barley Stock

Barley is a grain high in fiber that may lower cholesterol. It can be eaten like oats or rice, but most often it's used to provide texture and nutritional value to soups and salads. Because it thickens when it is cooked, barley can be used with various vegetables and broths to make stock, a thick liquid used as a base for many hearty soups and stews.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Stock pot
• Strainer
• Large bowl
• 2 leeks
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 carrots
• 1 fennel bulb
• 1 stalk celery
• 6 cups fat-free chicken/beef/vegetarian broth
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb. lamb, cubed (optional)

1. Cut the white portion of 2 leeks into thin slices. At the same time slice 2 large carrots, 1 stalk of celery and the quartered pieces of a fennel bulb.
2. Peel and chop 2 cloves of garlic.
3. Spray the bottom of your stock pot with non-stick cooking spray or melt some butter in the bottom of the pot. Add the vegetables and saute over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are browned.
4. Remove the vegetables and set them aside if you plan to add meat to your stock. Brown the meat in the pot before returning the vegetables.
5. Pour 6 cups of chicken, beef or vegetarian broth into the stock pot and mix with the vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add 1/2 cup barley to the mixture. For the best results use pearl barley. Hulled barley can be substituted for the pearl barley, but the stock will take twice as long to cook. Conversely, if you use instant barley your stock will take half the time to make, but the vegetables will not provide as much nutritive value to the stock.
7. Bring the mixture to a boil at medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and loosely cover the stock pot.
8. Let the mixture simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam that accumulates on
9. Remove the barley stock from the burner and place a strainer over a large bowl.
10. Strain the thick liquid into the bowl, pressing down on the vegetables and grain to release excess liquid.
11. Throw away the solid matter and refrigerate or freeze the stock.

Tips & Warnings

• Store the barley in tightly sealed containers to protect the grain from moisture. Hulled barley should be stored in the refrigerator, while pearled barley can be stored at room temperature.
• Fennel can be found in some supermarkets and most health food stores. It is sometimes called sweet anise.