Casserole looks wrong

[FridgeMagnet]

Lentils IME take a good half hour after soaking, and the soaking should be done for at least a half hour, so in practice, pretty much the same.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

In a big pot of stew, yes, about a handful, a bit less even.

 

[moomoo]

In a big pot of stew, yes, about a handful, a bit less even.

Great. Does pearl barley have any nutritional value?

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Well, our forbears practically lived off barley so I'm sure it does.

 

[mattie]

fried onions and marmite for flavour, plus bay leaf. Do not put broccoli in a casserole you muppet. Thats disgusting behaviour.


Add celery to your carrot n onion and you have the magic moirepoix or whatever the feck its called. these three items are essential for badass flavour.

A meat concession, I'm afraid, and partly a result of what we had in the fridge.

 

[mattie]

whoops, garlic and wine, that what i bloody forgot to mention, get a very bold, full-bodied, spicy red wine and splash a load of that stuff in there.

Some zinfandel went in, again all I had to hand.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Great. Does pearl barley have any nutritional value?

It does, but you have to eat a lot.

I'm always surprised at the difference between casseroles etc that I make which use a lot of pulses, and those which also use meat. A chickpea curry, say, is nice but I have to eat a much larger quantity than if it included meat to have the same nutritional effect; I feel noticeably tired and hungry if I don't. Similarly, for breakfast I can eat a huge bowl of porridge and be hungry in a few hours, whereas eggs or sausage or whatever would be more economical mass-for-hour.

On the other hand if you like cooking and eating you could see that as a plus point.

 

[mattie]

Well, feedback - not too bad, flavours came out OK if a little bland. The broccoli, which seems to have caused such a rumpus here, basically disintegrated which was actually quite handy.

For the future - browned onions and meat (how's that not sealed btw - I thought that's what happened whnen you fried it up?), leave veg to do in oven and leave it there for 4 to 5 hours. Thicken with barley if needed.

eta: how rude of me - thanks all, advice much appreciated.

 

[Herbsman.]

Lentils IME take a good half hour after soaking

IME they take a bad half hour.

 

[Herbsman.]

mattie, trust me, I read it in a food science book, frying meat doesnt seal it

 

[mrsfran]

Well, feedback - not too bad, flavours came out OK if a little bland. The broccoli, which seems to have caused such a rumpus here, basically disintegrated which was actually quite handy.

For the future - browned onions and meat (how's that not sealed btw - I thought that's what happened whnen you fried it up?), leave veg to do in oven and leave it there for 4 to 5 hours. Thicken with barley if needed.

eta: how rude of me - thanks all, advice much appreciated.

When you fry meat, you are not creating a waterproof barrier. If you think about it, that's a bit of a ludicrous idea. It's a good idea to brown meat, but that's because it then undergoes the Maillard browing reaction, which makes it tasty and also more appealing to look at.

 

[ringo]

...and you don't need much pearl barley at all. It really swells....

I've been reading that to the littlun all week, she loves it.

 

[Tank Girl]

next time put the cut up beef in some flour (seasoned if you like) before you brown it.

 

[art of fact]

you need some red wine and herbs in there man!

 

[fogbat]

Celery's always good in a casserole / stew, too. Fry it up with the onions towards the beginning. Cooked for an hour or two, it dissolves away to nothing, but adds a lovely savoury flavour.

 

[sojourner]

next time put the cut up beef in some flour (seasoned if you like) before you brown it.

That was going to be my first suggestion

My second is to throw a good amount of thyme in there (fresh preferably, but dried will do), and some rosemary too if you like the flavour