Persian Split Pea and Barley Stew

Submitted by dicentra

"This comes from my Moosewood Low-Fat cookbook. I think this could be OAMC and/or made in the crock pot."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 45mins
• Ingredients: 17
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup raw barley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 garlic clove
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup dried split yellow peas
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrot, peeled and cut in 1 inch chunks
• 2 cups potatoes, cut in 1 inch chunks
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1 pinch cayenne
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 lemon, juice of
• salt and pepper

directions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the barley, bay leaf, garlic and 2 cups of water to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add the split peas, cardamom, cinnamon and the remaining water and simmer, covered for another 45 minutes, or until the barley and split peas are soft and most of the liquid has absorbed.
4. Stir occasionally and, if necessary, add a small amount of additional water to prevent the mixture from sticking.
5. While the barley and split peas are cooking, place the onions, carrots, potatoes, salt, cayenne, and stock in a large saucepan.
6. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.
7. Stir in the tomatoes and continue to simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
8. Add the cooked barley and split peas. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaf.

Reviews

[Stephanie Z.]

This was very, very good! It also came together much faster than the time indicated...more like an 1-1 1/4 hours depending on how much veggie chopping you do. I loved the mix of Middle Eastern flavors in this! Ground cardamom was ridiculously expensive, so I bought green cardamom pods and chopped them up instead. I also added some celery and peas. The only modification that I would make when I prepare this in the future is to use more cinnamon. When I reheated this, I added a bit more and really think that it added to the dish. Thanks dicentra! Great recipe!

 

[MarinaLibik]

Amazing taste!!

 

[Gaia22]

Wonderful & complex. We loved all the interplay of flavorings from the lemon juice and parsley to the cardomom and carrots! Hearty & delicious. Just the two of us almost finished this off in one night - ate dinner, went to a show, came back and ate another dinner! We enjoyed this with bread & butter and a dry stout. It's also very budget-friendly. I used Pomi packaged chopped tomatoes - which were great - because I have a hard time finding any decent fresh tomatoes, unfortunately, in the nearby stores. The stew does take a lot of salt though to bring out all the flavors. Outside of that (if you are not salt sensitive), A definite keeper. We will be keeping this in rotation. Solid recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[Kimmore]

I think the base of the stew is very good and nutritious, but next time I will omit the cardamom and cinnamon, as I prefer a spicier taste and not the sweetness that these two ingredients added.

 

[neraulia]

This was so tasty! I had never cooked with cardamom before, but will again. I also used canned diced tomatoes.