Vegetable Barley “Bolognaise”
Hearty and healthy!
Okay folks, here we go…. I visited my sister last week an she was in the process of making her version of a traditional Italian bolognaise sauce. Although presently the sight of the ground beef wasn’t pleasing to me, the heartiness of the dish looked irrisistable! This barley based version is just as tasty and hearty and I have to say WAY more filling. Make the portion sizes much smaller as the barley continues to expand in your belly – another lesson I’ve learned over the past few weeks ;o)
Vegetable Barley “Bolognaise”
Serves 6-8
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cups finely chopped chard
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
- 1 350 ml tin tomatoes (I prefer Italian brands)
- 1 cup vegetable stock (can replace with water)
- ¼ cup dry red wine
- 1 cup pot barley
- ½ tsbp Vegeta seasonings (or dried seasoned salt of choice)
- 2 cups water
- Sea salt and freshly grated pepper
- 2 cups chopped crimini mushrooms
- 1tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 bayleaf (remove before serving)
- Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- 2 green onions, chopped (for garnish)
Saute onions, carrots and celery, salt and pepper in olive oil for 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add more olive oil if needed.
Squeeze juice from tomatoes. Add all juice from can, plus all of the tomatoes, squeezing and crushing them with your fingers (you can chop them if this grosses you out). Turn heat to high, add vegetable stock, barley, wine, 1 cup water, 2 cloves of garlic, bay leaf, chard and Vegeta seasonings. Mix well. Reduce heat to medium/low and continue to cook (bubbling gently), stirring frequently.
In another sauté pan, add olive oil and garlic. Saute for 1 minute, add mushrooms. Cook on med heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add balsamic vinegar and continue to cook until most of liquid is absorbed. Add to tomato/barley mixture.
Continue to cook “bolognaise” uncovered on med/low heat for 45 minutes. Add more water when it gets too thick. I find I need to add about a ¼ cup water every 15 minutes or so.
Remove bay leaf and serve on top of your favourite pasta or eat as is with a good chunk of crusty bread. Sprinkle green onions on top as garnish.
Serve with mixed salad and THE BEST ever lemony dressing.
YUM!
