baavgai: (Default)
( Sep. 23rd, 2006 07:34 pm)
One of the meals of my childhood, cooked by a friend's mom for a his token non Jewish friend (me), was Matzah Brie. I didn't know squat about cooking then, but I knew I liked this (gefilte fish, not so much.) When I encountered the dish as an adult, I was happy.

Of course, like so many comfort foods, this one probably isn't so good for you, especially when it tastes real good. We have a preprocessed combination of white flour, eggs, and grease. Here's my variant on the dish that I think is pretty tasty in it's own right: Barley Brie

Barely flakes are basically what happens when you treat the grain like rolled oats. It cooks pretty quick, though not as fast as instant oatmeal. I get mine from a Polish ethnic mart.

Barley Brie
Makes 2 servings ( or one happy, full, person )
1/2  cup  barely flakes
  2       eggs
  1  cup  water
  1  tbs  butter ( or oil )
1/2  tbs  adobo ( see below )

Beat the two eggs, combine with seasonings ( adobo ) and water. Combine with barely flakes and let sit.

Warm a pan and coat with half the butter. I use a 5" cast iron skillet for this, the proportions are perfect. You'll want your barley mixture to be able to come up the sides a little.

Pour in the barley mixture. Increase heat to medium low. The mixture should be soupy in the pan. If not, add some more water. The flakes will absorb twice their volume in liquid, the excess water will cook off. In order for this to set up properly, there needs to be enough liquid to start.

Eventually, the mixture will start to look dry. The barley has locked some of the water in starch and won't let go, so it's hard to dry it out too much. It will come away from the sides a little. We want to get as much as the browning through the dish as possible. It will be too soft to flip as a mass, but cut and fold works well.

With a spatula, scoop under the mixture, lift and fold on top. Repeat until all the brown on the bottom is off the bottom and there is now a new surface browning. Wait, then repeat this procedure until you have the level of doneness you desire.

Right at the end, add the other half of the butter and fold one last time. Serve hot. Enjoy.

About adobo. This is the flavor of South American cooking and has all the savories that work well with this dish. If you don't like it or can't get it, salt and pepper is fine. An adobo substitute is a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and oregano.

Also, sauteing onions and chopped garlic for this is good. You can reduce cooking time by adding hot water to the barley flakes, and then adding the egg and spice mixture after. Be careful not to scramble the eggs if you do this.
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