Nordic White Bean & Mushroom Barley

Method

1. 1

   Prep the vegetables

   Dice the onion, slice the cremini mushroom, remove the kale stems and chop the leaves, drain and rinse the cannellini bean, and strip the thyme leaves.
2. 2

   Simmer the barley

   Combine the pearl barley and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil; lower the heat, cover, and simmer.

   35 min

   Tip: Barley cooking times vary; add a splash of broth if the pan dries before the grains are tender.

3. 3

   Cook the vegetables

   Melt the butter in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat; add the onion and cremini mushroom and stir often, then stir in the kale and thyme.

   10 min

   Tip: Let the mushrooms sit briefly between stirs so they brown rather than steam.

4. 4

   Combine and warm

   Stir the cannellini bean and cooked pearl barley into the skillet with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper; fold gently over medium-low heat.

   5 min
5. 5

   Taste and serve

   Take the skillet off the heat, stir in the sour cream, taste, and adjust with up to 1/4 tsp salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

   2 min