12. Roasted Baby Vegetable Irish Stew with Pearl Barley
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables :
- 150g shallots, peeled
- 300g baby new potatoes, washed, scrubbed and dried.
- 300g small or baby carrots, peeled
- 300g baby button mushrooms
- 1 large clove of smoked garlic, left in skin (you can use regular garlic here)
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- pinch of sea salt
- some freshly ground black pepper
Pearl Barley :
- 50g raw pearl barley
- 2 bay leaves
- sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme (1 of each)
- 1½ Kallo mushroom stock cubes
- 750ml water
Instructions
- Roasted vegetables : Preheat oven to 220°C. Whisk together the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Place the carrots, shallots, mushrooms, clove of garlic and potatoes in a roasting tin and pour over the oil mixture. Toss well. Roast for 40 minutes tossing a few times. Test them with a fork to ensure the potatoes and carrots are soft. When done, remove the clove of garlic and squeeze out the filling into the pan.
- Pearl Barley : Wash the barley really well. In a small-medium saucepan bring the water to the boil and dissolve the cube in it. Add the barley, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Bring back to the boil then cover and reduce to low and simmer for 45 minutes or until tender. Stir now and again.
- Combine the pearl barley (with stock) and all the roasted veggies into a large saucepan. De-glaze the roasting tin with a little hot water, scraping the tin to get all the flavour off. Pour this into the pot as well. Note: if for some reason your roasting tin ends up really burnt don’t deglaze, only do this to add some of the roasted flavour into the dish. Bring to a simmer then cook gently, covered, for 5 -10 minutes for the flavours to meld. Taste, season if need be and if you have to add a bit more water do. Keep in mind this shouldn’t have a lot of broth. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary and thyme stalks (leave the leaves). Stir in most of the chives then divide among 4 bowls and sprinkle with more of the chives.
- Beautiful served with some brown soda bread and a pint of vegan stout or dark ale.