Mixed Grain Mushroom Casserole

Dusty Gold's Note:

A friend gave me this recipe, its my comfort food now.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1/4 cup oil (or less)
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 lb mushroom, thickly sliced
• 3 1/2 cups broth
• 1 teaspoon crushed dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried oregano
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine grains in a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Pour the oil into a 2 to 3 quart casserole which is safe for both stovetop and oven cooking, and place on medium heat.
3. When hot, saute onion and garlic until tender and translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Add the mixed grains and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
5. Meanwhile melt butter or margarine (if using) in a separate pan on medium high heat.
6. When hot, add mushrooms and saute quickly, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are hot and have just absorbed the"butter" (about 1 minute).
7. Immediately remove from heat.
8. Add the broth, herbs, and mushrooms to the casserole with the onions and grains, and bring to a boil.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover tightly (use aluminum foil between pot and cover if necessary for a good seal), and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Reviews

[***chef katie***]

I adapted this for the pressure cooker (which I cannot live without, makes grains so quick and easy!) Didn't have any wild rice on hand so I used 3/4 cup brown rice and 3/4 cup barley, only needed 2T of oil, skipped the butter, used beef broth; sauteed grains and onion in oil. added herbs and cooker for 18 minutes then steamed the mushrooms in the residual heat- it all turned out perfectly, and made tons. I will do this again. Thanks for sharing!

[UnRefined]

What a great recipe. I seem to be incapable of actually following a recipe through but I stayed pretty close on this one. I used a whole bulb of garlic and about 2 tsp of grapeseed oil for the whole recipe. I also replaced 1/2 a cup of vegetable broth with dry white wine. I loved the toasted grains, that really made the dish wonderful. I sauteed the mushrooms on side as recommended because I'd think they wouldn't allow the grains to toast properly if you included them in the onion mixture. I sauteed them to until they started to release their juices and then added a generous splash of wine and cooked it down until the mushrooms started to dry out again. This is a great starter recipe too, I was dreaming about all the ways to vary it as I cooked it. Add some chopped pumpkin or squash, vary the grains. Next time I think I'll try using sweet short grain brown rice,more liquid for a cheaters risotto. Excellent healthy vegetarian fare, and so simple.

[bebefisher]

I found this recipe while looking for a way to use up my mushrooms. I followed the recipe exactly (I think, but I only had wild sweet rice). I had to cook it an additional 20 minutes to get the moisture to absorb. Then what I had was rice with what tasted like Italian seasoning. I didn't taste much of the mushroom. I definitely wouldn't call this a Main Dish unless I were eating alone.

I won't make this again. There are too many other recipes out there that really showcase the flavor and texture of mushrooms.