Nordic Wild Mushroom and Pearl Barley Bowl

• 160 g Pearled barley
• 1 ½ tsp Fine sea salt
• 300 g Mushrooms, mixed wild mushrooms if possible
• 40 g Unsalted butter
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 4 sprigs Fresh thyme
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 1 medium Lemon
• 80 g Crème fraiche
• 10 g Fresh parsley

1. Cook the pearled barley in a saucepan of well-salted boiling water until tender with a little bite, 25–30 minutes. Drain well in a colander and return it to the pan off the heat to steam-dry for 1 minute.
2. While the barley cooks, wipe and trim the mushrooms, then tear or slice any large ones so they cook evenly. Finely chop the garlic, pick the thyme leaves, and finely chop the parsley. Zest the lemon, then cut it in half for juicing.
3. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until they have released their liquid and turned golden at the edges.
4. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Season with the black pepper and a pinch of the salt, then add the lemon zest and squeeze in about half the lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice and salt as needed.
5. Divide the barley between two bowls and spoon the mushrooms and buttery pan juices over the top. Finish each bowl with a spoon of crème fraiche and a generous sprinkle of parsley. Serve straight away while hot.

Made this recipe? Rate it — a comment is optional.