Recipe Sharing: Lentil Barley Stew

During my junior year of college I was a resident assistant (RA) in one of the dorms. Each Monday night, the RA staff (six of us) and our boss (RD) had dinner in the RD’s apartment and then had our “business” meeting. We all took turns cooking the meals, which actually turned out pretty well for college students who really had no experience in the kitchen. This stew was one of the meals our RD made for is from the “More with Less” cookbook (which I just Googled to find out is indeed a Mennonite recipe collection as I had correctly recalled). It obviously stuck with me since I am still making it over a decade *ahem* later. It is the perfect meal for a cool, fall day; plus it’s vegetarian-, budget- and diet-friendly – those Mennonites are so handy in the kitchen.

Let’s pretend I thought to take a picture of all the ingredients
(missing from the above: butter, celery, onion and carrots).

What you’ll need:
1/4 c. butter or margarine
3/4 c. celery, chopped
1 small yellow or white onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
3/4 c. lentils
6 c. water (or more – see directions)
3/4 c. barley (I used quick barley)
2 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2-1 tsp. rosemary

Here is the missing butter, celery, onion and carrots, happily cooking away.

Directions:
Melt butter in large pot, add onions, celery and carrots and saute for 5 minutes over medium-high heat (until onions go transluscent and start to brown).

Add water and lentils and boil 20 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer 45-60 minutes. I think because I used quick barley, I needed to add more water and perhaps the cooking time didn’t have to be as long for this bit, just watch your pot and make sure it doesn’t all dry up or you will have a burnt mess. You can add more water without ruining the recipe (I rinsed the tomato cans and added that water and probably another 1.5 cups worth in the end).

Enjoy with some hearty bread!