Ground Beef, Porcini Mushroom and Barley Skillet Dinner

Cold weather has certainly set in for those of us in Minneapolis. Sunday night there wasn’t a trace of snow to be found and today there is about six inches outside the front door. I have mixed feeling about this. The snow is beautiful and makes the cold weather easier to swallow. But Thanksgiving is still on the calendar and I am firm believer that Thanksgiving is a fall holiday. Snow does not equal fall, snow equals winter. Oh well, there isn’t a thing I can do about it other than embrace the cold weather and make those hearty meals I have been craving for the past few weeks.

 

I had a container of dried porcini mushrooms sitting in my pantry for a while. I’ve been looking for a recipe to use the mushrooms and while flipping through my American Heart Association Low-Calorie  Cookbook I came across a winner. I love my AHA cookbook and I find myself turning to it when I am craving something comforting and filling. The recipes are simple, delicious and healthy. The recipe I used called for shiitake mushrooms but I had a feeling using the dried porcini would be just as delicious. This recipe isn’t a quick fix meal. You have to give the mushrooms time to soak and cooking barley takes almost an hour. Thankfully the recipe calls for very little effort and the meal is delicious!

I did make a few small adjustments to this recipe. I did use porcini mushrooms instead of shiitake mushrooms and the taste was wonderful. Use what you have or what you can find at the store. Dried mushrooms are not always the easiest to find or the cheapest ingredient when you do. I am not a fan of large chunks of cooked tomatoes in anything so I used a can of petite diced. I was pleasantly surprised that this recipe tasted like a bowl of spaghetti but with the barley I knew it was so much better for me.

Enjoy!

½ oz. dried porcini mushrooms

1 ¼ cups warm water

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz. ground beef

8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced

1 ¼ cups pearled barley, uncooked

2 cups V8

15 oz. petite diced tomatoes

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

Put the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl. Add the water and let soak for 20-30 minutes, until softened. Drain and retain the soaking liquid. Coarsely chop the mushrooms. Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter and into a small bowl to collect any grit.

Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Pour the oil into the pan then add the onion and garlic. Cook for three to four minutes or until the onions are tender. Add the beef and cook for three to four minutes, until browned and breaking up into small pieces. Pour into a colander and rinse under hot water to remove any excess fat. Drain and return beef to the pan.

Stir in the porcini and button mushrooms, cook for one minute. Stir in the barley and cook for two minutes stirring frequently. Stir in reserved mushroom liquid, V8, undrained tomatoes, oregano and basil. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 45-50 minutes.

Adapted from: American Heart Association Low-Calorie Cookbook