Bountiful Barley The Low GI Grain
From: www.dLife.com
By Elizabeth Keyser
Nutty in flavor, springy and slightly chewy in texture, barley is an
ancient grain that's new again. Get a load of its nutritional content
and glycemic index ranking (the lowest!), and you'll want to have some
on hand at all times. Different barley preparations can have a delicious
place at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and, surprise, even dessert (just swap
out half of a recipe's regular flour for the same amount of barley flour).
Barley's high fiber content makes it a diabetes superfood -- and is one
of the reasons it has less impact on blood sugar than other grains.
One-half cup of cooked whole hulled barley (1/4 cup uncooked) provides
8 grams of fiber -- that's 30 percent of your daily requirement. Plus
it's high in minerals such as manganese, selenium, and iron, and
vitamins such as niacin and B-6.
Many variations of barley are available. They differ in nutritional
value and preparation time.
Pearl barley, which is readily available in supermarkets, is a less
nutritious option. The tough hull and part of the bran have been
removed. Avoid fine pearl; it doesn't have bran or germ, and is
least nutritious. Look for good quality brands like Bob's Red Mill.
Whole hulled barley (sometimes called hull-less) is your most nutritious
choice.
It has twice the fiber and more than twice the vitamins and minerals
of pearl barley. It contains more insoluble fiber than whole wheat.
Scotch and pot barley are processed, but still are high in fiber.
However these types require longer cooking time.
Barley is an inexpensive pantry staple. And it couldn't be easier
to prepare. You know how to boil water, don't you?
How to Cook Barley
The ratios are simple enough, even for those of us who are math
challenged.
One cup of pearl barley is cooked in 3 cups of boiling water for
40 to 50 minutes or until tender. To shorten the cooking time and
for a fluffier grain, soak it in 2 cups of water for five hours
or overnight. Then cook in boiling water for 15 minutes.
Whole hulled, pot barley, and scotch barley must be soaked overnight.
To cook, add 1 cup of barley to 4 cups of water. Bring the water to
a boil and cook for 60 minutes or until tender. An additional
half-cup of water may be needed halfway through cooking.
If you plan to serve barley as a side dish in lieu of rice, you
could cook it in vegetable or chicken stock for extra flavor. But
salted water is just fine for most recipes, including the recipes
that follow for soup, stuffing, salad, fried barley balls, and pilaf.
Soups
Beef barley soup and Scotch broth (a traditional stew, usually of
lamb, root vegetables, and barley) are old standbys that feature
barley. This is because barley stands up so well to rich, flavorful
meats. But a handful of barley is a tasty and nutritious addition
to any soup, whether it be a vegetable-filled minestrone, or a more
delicate chicken soup. Barley's gelatinous quality imparts a subtle
thickening to broth and the grains add body.
Stuffing
Barley also makes a great substitute for bread cubes in stuffing.
Replace the exact amount of cubes with cooked barley (if you are
stuffing the bird, cook it with water; if you plan to bake it in
a dish, cook it with stock) in your favorite stuffing recipe. Start
with sauteed onions, celery, carrots, herbs, and salt and pepper.
Jazz up the stuffing with nuts or sausage.
Golden Barley Burgers (made with hulled barley)
This take on Italian rice balls, those crispy cheese-filled morsels,
is so much better and better for you. Barley's sticky texture holds
these treats together during frying, and produces a crunchy exterior
and moist interior. And you can sneak in chopped vegetables like
green beans or broccoli. Add raw minced onion, a beaten egg, salt,
pepper, and green vegetables to cooked barley and form into balls
around a nugget of your favorite cheese. For more browning surface,
squash the balls into patties. You are guaranteed a deliciously
crunchy, golden-brown patty best served with lycopene-rich tomato sauce.
Summer Salad with Pearl Barley
Pasta salad will fade from your memory after you've transformed barley
into a summer salad perfect for the buffet table. Toss cooked barley
with lemon or lime zest and lots of fresh herbs -- mint, chives,
parsley, basil, and scallions. Dress with garlicky-lemon vinaigrette.*
Or use part of an orange -- zest, and bits of segments -- and some
olives for a salty-sweet accent. For an extra special touch, decorate
the salad with edible flowers from your yard like pansies, Johnny
Jump-Ups, chive blossoms, borage, day lilies, or rose petals. (Make
sure they haven't been sprayed with pesticides.)
* To make this vinaigrette: Mash a clove of garlic and a sprinkle of
salt with a fork. Add one part lemon juice then 2 and 1/2 parts olive
oil. Whisk with a fork adding salt, pepper, or lemon juice as desired.
Vegetable Barley Pilaf
Pilaf is a delicious way to transform leftovers into a satisfying
one-pot dinner.
Saute the onion, garlic, and chopped fresh or frozen vegetables. Add
meat – you can extend that last slice of steak, pork chop, or the
remaining bits on a chicken carcass. Or keep it vegetarian by using
meaty mushrooms and protein-rich crushed nuts. This is the ultimate
use-what-you-have dish. Serve with a fresh green salad.
Portion Size is Key
Barley has the lowest glycemic index and glycemic load of all the
grains tested to date; however, that doesn't make it a low carb food.
You still have to count every last carbohydrate -- and test, test,
test, after you eat. Portion control matters.
One-quarter cup of whole, hulled barley makes 3/4 cup cooked. That
contains 34 grams of carbs, 8 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein.
Pearl barley has the same amount of carbs, but less fiber and protein.
So keep those portions to between 1/4 and 1/2 cup cooked and enjoy!
Elizabeth Keyser writes about food for Connecticut Magazine,
Fairfield County Weekly, Hartford Advocate, CT Bites and other
publications, Web sites and blogs. Her work has appeared in
GQ, the New York Times, the New York Post and American Photo.
She has won 11 awards from the Society of Professional Journalists
Connecticut Chapter, the New England Newspaper Association, and
the Connecticut Press Club.
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