Barley

Dry-toasting the barley adds a nutty taste and helps the barley retain its texture in this excellent meatless dish.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 25 min

This recipe came to be when I was preparing risotto and realized I was out of Arborio rice; I used barley instead. The results were so delicious that I now prefer this version.

This hearty soup is served at Belvedere Mansion in Staatsburg, New York.

Marjorie Farr, Silver Spring, Md.
Use fresh spinach in this dish — frozen will not do. A sprinkle of parsley before serving adds a fresh touch.

A perfect side dish for tuna or chicken.

Hearty and filling, but so low-fat.

The Finns rely on cereal as one of the mainstays of their diet, since barley, rye and buckwheat grow well in their country. The barley pudding is a good substitute for potatoes, noodles or rice.

When I first heard about Ari Weinzweig's delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I couldn't believe it. A deli in the home of my alma mater. It's not really a deli but more of an international food emporium like New York's Zabar's with a definite Jewish touch. Mr. Weinzweig, a drop-out Ph.D. candidate, has taken an academic and appetizing interest in updating Jewish recipes like mushroom and barley soup, going back in history to the nineteenth-century Eastern European version similar to that served at New York's Second Avenue Deli.