Barley with Sausage, Lentils & Split Peas. A simple and rustic dish that is so packed with flavor. Creamy, hearty and healthy. You are going to love this recipe.
Last week here in Jersey we had a LOT of gloomy rainy days and to me that translates into comfort food in the kitchen. This Barley with Sausage, Lentils & Split Peas is the type of dish my grandmother would through together with what she had on hand and it would be perfection in the end. It is her simple, rustic Italian cooking that inspired this dish for me.
Making this dish is really very simple and the flavors have time to develop and the end result is rather fantastic. The dish is creamy from the lentils breaking down some as they cook, the heartiness of the sausage and split peas. And that barley, oh that barley… its one of my favorite grains to cook with. Barley is a bit pasta like with a perfect chewiness to it. It holds up really well in cooking and is perfect in dishes like this, stews and soups.
For this I sautéed Italian sausage with celery, carrots, onion, garlic and thyme in olive oil. Let me tell ya, the aroma that will be coming out of your kitchen is magic! Don’t rush this step, the flavors that develop are spectacular and this is what flavors the broth for the split peas and lentils to cook in. Split peas do take a bit of time to cook and lentils are pretty quick so the dish is cooked in just a few steps to allow everything to cook properly.
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 links Italian sausage, casing removed
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 carrots, small dice {I used yellow carrots because I had them on hand}
- 1 small red onion
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 cup dry barley
- 1/4 cup dry split peas
- 3/4 cup dry red lentils
- 5 cups water
- freshly grated pecorino cheese
- parsley for garnish
- Cook 1 cup of dry barley in boiling water until tender. Rinse, drain and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet or sauce pan, over medium heat and add in the olive oil and sausage. Break up the sausage with a wooden spoon as it is cooking until it resemble small crumbles. Cook until browned.
- Add in the celery, carrot, onion, garlic and thyme. Cook until softened and lightly golden. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the 5 cups of water and split peas. Simmer for about 30-35 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add in the lentils and simmer for another 15 minutes or so. The lentils will begin to break down and the mixture will get creamy. Once the split peas and lentils are tender, you are good to go!
- Stir in the cooked barley. Cook just for a minute and season with salt and pepper again to taste. Add freshly grated pecorino romano cheese to taste and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
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Southwest Chicken & Barley Soup
