Prepare A Parsley Buffet: Barley Dumplings with Parsley Sauce

Enlarge Image Image Gallery This lemony parsley sauces isn't only good with barley dumplings (center), but also fish.

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This lemony parsley sauce is also good with flounder, haddock, and other mild whitefish. Makes 4 entrée servings; 250 calories per serving, 4 grams fat, 18 percent of calories from fat.

• 1 cup pearled barley (about 6 1/2 ounces)
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup minced fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil
• About 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 cups defatted chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 5 scallions, finely minced
• 2 cups minced fresh parsley
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
• Freshly grated Romano cheese or soy ­Parmesan

1. Rinse the barley. Place it in a small saucepan along with the water and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover loosely, and simmer until the barley is tender, about 1 hour. Uncover and let cool.

2. Scoop the barley into a processor and add the chives, oregano, basil, and 1/4 cup flour. Whiz until you have a ball of dough, about 10 seconds.

3. To shape the dumplings, wet your hands and form the dough into about 20 walnut-sized balls.

4. Pour the stock into a large frying pan and bring it to a gentle bubble. Carefully set the dumplings in the bubbling stock, cover, and poach until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Don’t let the stock come to a rapid boil, or the dumplings may fall apart.

5. To make the sauce, heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the garlic and scallions, reduce the heat to medium, and sauté until fragrant and slightly soft, about 1 minute, taking care not to let the garlic burn. Add the parsley and lemon juice and cook until the parsley is bright green and slightly wilted, about 2 minutes more. Pour the mixture into a processor or blender and whiz until pureed.

6. When the dumplings are ready, remove them from the stock and arrange them in four shallow bowls. (If the sauce isn’t ready, cover the bowls to keep the dumplings warm.) Spoon some parsley sauce into each bowl and swirl the dumplings around so they’re completely coated. Sprinkle with cheese and serve warm.

Click here for the original article, Recipes With Parsley: Prepare A Parsley Buffet.

Judith Benn Hurley has written for Ladies’ Home Journal and Prevention, where she was food editor for five years.

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