By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 2¼ hours
- Rating
- 5(37)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Grain stuffings are an elegant alternative to bread stuffing on the Thanksgiving table, and one that happens to work well for any gluten-avoiding guests. Here the barley is tossed with roasted shiitake mushrooms, chive butter, hazelnuts and plenty of lemon to zip it up. Stuff it in the turkey if you'd like, or serve it alongside as a supple, addictive dressing.
Featured in: A Stuffing Strategy Grandma Understood
Learn: Melissa Clark’s Thanksgiving
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Ingredients
Yield:9 cups, enough to stuff a 10- to 12-pound turkey
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2leeks, white and light-green part only, finely chopped
- 2cups pearled barley
- 1rosemary sprig
- 1½cups chicken stock
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
- 1¼pounds shiitake mushroom caps, sliced ¼-inch thick
- 3tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1cup toasted, peeled hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
- ½cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ¾teaspoons kosher salt
- Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon plus one teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste
- ½cup chopped chives (about 1 bunch)
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
For the Barley-mushroom Mixture
For the Chive Butter
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
309 calories; 17 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 362 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add barley and rosemary sprig; cook 1 minute more. Pour in the stock, 1½ cups water and ¾ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover and simmer until barley is tender and most liquid has evaporated, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Check it after an hour. If it is tender but liquid is not absorbed, drain barley in a strainer. Or if liquid has evaporated and barley is still not tender, add a little more water and continue cooking until it is.
Step
2
Meanwhile, toss mushrooms with oil, ¾ teaspoon salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper. Spread in a single layer on two large baking sheets. Roast, tossing occasionally, until tender and beginning to crisp around edges, 20 to 25 minutes.
Step
3
Make chive butter: In a mortar and pestle or mini food processor, mash together the garlic and salt until it forms a paste. Stir in the lemon zest and juice until salt dissolves. Pound or pulse in the chives, then stir in the butter until incorporated.
Step
4
Spoon hot barley into a large bowl. Stir in mushrooms, hazelnuts, parsley and chive butter until well combined. Taste and add more salt and lemon if necessary.
Ratings
5
out of 5
37
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Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Melinda
From what I understand, barley contains gluten. This recipe is classified as gluten-free and the intro text indicates it's a good alternative stuffing for gluten-free diets.
RLH
Oh my goodness I almost had a disaster for my thanksgiving table. I was looking for a gluten-free dressing and settled on this one based on the tag and the intro to the recipe. Thankfully I ran the recipe past my gluten intolerant guest prior to Thanksgiving. Barley is CLEARLY not gluten-free!
KC
I’m sure it’s a lovely recipe, but I’m surprised to see that not only is this in the gluten free thanksgiving collection but it’s called out specifically as gluten free in the description. It’s a fairly big oversight and I hope no one gets sick.Barley is just gluten-y as your run of the mill croutons.
NYCTabletop
I'm making this now, very excited, the cripsy sh*take mushrooms are wonderful (they cook fast, so careful watching is key).
I would love to know what Melissa would think about using preserved lemons in the recipe, instead of lemon zest and juice??
ES
This sounds very tasty BUT barley is NOT gluten free! This recipe needs to have the "gluten free" tag removed. It is irresponsible to leave this major error in it, which disregards the dietary restrictions required by people with celiac, wheat allergy, and gluten intolerance.
J
Barley is not gluten free. This should be removed from the "GF recipes" list!
KP
Barley is NOT gluten free. I know people made comments about this but it still has the gluten free tag. This can make people sick if served unknowingly. Remove the gluten free tag.
KC
I’m sure it’s a lovely recipe, but I’m surprised to see that not only is this in the gluten free thanksgiving collection but it’s called out specifically as gluten free in the description. It’s a fairly big oversight and I hope no one gets sick.Barley is just gluten-y as your run of the mill croutons.
Sarah
Very delicious. Made this with Job's Tears in lieu of barley and almonds instead of hazelnuts because that is what I had on hand. Relatively simple to do although there are a number of steps involved. Threw a light dusting of pecorino on top which was a delicious, albeit probably unnecessary, addition.
RLH
Oh my goodness I almost had a disaster for my thanksgiving table. I was looking for a gluten-free dressing and settled on this one based on the tag and the intro to the recipe. Thankfully I ran the recipe past my gluten intolerant guest prior to Thanksgiving. Barley is CLEARLY not gluten-free!
Merab
You are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. First some reason, many people think barley is safe. IT ISN'T. Malt isn't either, since it's made from barley.
Sherron
Added 3 wedges of preserved lemon. Made full recipe for weeknight dinner.
jmee
I made this as a side dish for Melissa's Turkey Marsala and it was delicious. I halved the recipe and used almonds instead of hazelnuts. I wasn't so sure about the chive butter and almost left it out but I'm sure glad I didn't. The lemony butter flavor added nice depth to the dish.
Melinda
From what I understand, barley contains gluten. This recipe is classified as gluten-free and the intro text indicates it's a good alternative stuffing for gluten-free diets.
NYCTabletop
I'm making this now, very excited, the cripsy sh*take mushrooms are wonderful (they cook fast, so careful watching is key).
I would love to know what Melissa would think about using preserved lemons in the recipe, instead of lemon zest and juice??
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