A Dish of Lentils and Barley
A reconstructed medieval recipe, published in 1465, Rome. Used when I cooked Baronial Banquet.
Ingredients
Barley, for 160:
- ⅝ qt olive oil
- 1⅔ qt onion chopped
- 13⅓ cloves garlic minced
- 3⅓ qt barley pearled
- 1⅔ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2⅛ gal vegetable stock
- 1⅛ Tbsp salt
Barley, for 8:
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ c onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 c barley pearled
- 1 dash freshly ground pepper
- ⅝ qt vegetable stock
- ¼ tsp salt
Lentils, for 160:
- 7 lbs lentils
- 3½ gal water
- 7 onions peeled and halved
- 7 whole garlic cloves peeled
- 7 whole bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Lentils, for 8:
- ½ lb lentils
- 1 qt water
- ½ onion peeled and halved
- 1 whole garlic clove peeled
- 1 whole bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add the oil to a deep, oven-proof pan heated to high and fry the onions and garlic until very lightly browned. Add barley and pepper and stir until coated. Add stock and salt and bring to a boil. Quickly place in a baking dish and cover. Bake until barley is tender and stock is absorbed, about 45 minutes. Let stand covered for at least 10 minutes.
- While barley is baking, wash and pick over lentils. Combine lentils with 8 cups water, whole onion, garlic clove and bay leaf in a large pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer, uncovered, until lentils are tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain and let cool. Remove the onion, garlic, and bay leaf.
- Putting it all together:
- Combine barley and lentils, mixing well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or room temperature.