Phoebe & Allyson said:Thanks!
Phoebe 🙂
Oh, and I've had "barley" grits, gotten at a Ukranian store. Perhaps you could make "real" kasha
(as opposed to the word kasha meaning buckwheat). Here is a cut and paste of a post of mine from
years ago. You could use almond milk instead of cow milk, or, if you are pumping, breast milk.
This was delicious and *soft*: <begin paste> With a recipe from an rfcer in hand, I made my first
Kasha today.
I discovered that I had no double boiler approaching the size I needed, so I took a Belgique (sp?)
stock pot and plopped a curvy Belgique saute pan on top. I really steamed it for 6 hours, and was
interested in how the dish changed with time, it's final sea-change at about 0500 hours. It became a
very thick dish. I thought that it would require salt, but it did not, and I didn't have cream, but
I think that butter (or perhaps cream) is necessary for enjoyment. I used 1/2 a teaspoon for a cup
of the final product and that little bit's flavour really shone through, so use a good butter. The
Barley, although very soft at the end, kept it's character of that little vermis of fibre running
it's length. The milk, though totally dried and adhered to the barely, had little flavour, and did
not take on a kheer-like character. Of course it would have been different with water or oil, but I
don't think a fundamental browning of the milk proteins is a central part of this dish I liked this
just plain, but I sense a heavy peppering and/or a blob of jam heading towards the Hubs bowl. tj
p.s. I just couldn't refrain from peeking and tasting.
p.p.s. I have a very odd cat that NEVER touches human food. She'll wolf down tuna from a can, but
has never taken a lap of milk, or a bite of salmon, or swipe at the butter. Never! After I
finished my bowl, I set it down on the table near her (we're all jammed up next to the
computer). She arose from slumber, stretched extravagently, and then PLUNGED her face into
the empty bowl, cleaning the sides. I think this speaks volumes.
<begin quote of recipe:>
Barley Kasha
This kind of kasha was Peter the Great's favourite. Try making it sometime - I think you'll be
surprised. It takes a _lot_ of time to make, but requires very little actual work. Take note
that it is extremely important to maintain the proportions of the ingredients both for soaking
and for cooking.
1 glass (200 g/7.05 oz) pearl barley (large-sized) 1 litre (1.06 qt) water for soaking 2 litres
(2.11 qt) milk some heavy cream and butter
Soak the barley in cold water for 10-12 hours. Drain. Heat the milk in a non-reactive saucepan to
40° C/104°F and add the barley. Heat on stove top, uncovered, until the milk boils. Meanwhile boil
water in a large saucepan. As soon as the milk is boiling, cover the saucepan and place it in the
large saucepan with boiling water, i.e. bain-marie. Cook for 6 hours, adding water to the large
saucepan if needed. Refrain from opening the kasha saucepan. Take from heat and let stand for 10
minutes. Remove the kasha from the saucepan and put it into a porcelain dish. Add a bit of cream and
butter and stir very carefully until the consistency is uniform. Eat, preferably as a stand-alone
dish. <end paste> HTH blacksalt
