When the weather turns chill and you’re looking for something to warm you from the inside out, a good braised dish is the perfect choice.  Today was that day.  We woke this morning with snow on the ground and a bitter chill in the air that really didn’t get a whole lot beter as the day went on, though it was hard to notice the cold weather with the aroma of this dish permeating the house all day.

I decided to braise beef in tomatoes early on in the day.  I had originally thought of serving the dish with pasta or plain old white rice, but a quick trip to the pantry convinced me otherwise.  Sitting forlorn and lonely at the back of the shelf that holds both my rice and “enriched macaroni products” I found a small bag of brown rice and an even smaller bag of pearled barley. The combination sounded so perfect that I immediately shifted gears in that direction and I couldn’t be happier that I did.

The result was a warm and completely satisfying meal that did not leave room for dessert, but did leave more than enough leftovers for beef and barley soup tomorrow and most likely some other concoction the day after.  There really isn’t much that makes me happier than a meal that does double or triple duty and this one fits the bill perfectly.

This recipe is a keeper.  I hope that at least one of you gives it a try and then lets us all know what you think of it in the comments.  I can’t tell you how strongly I feel that this dish should be made in every home in America when the weather is horrid.  It’s just that good.

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I’ve touched on my love of barley before. It’s wonderful in combination with brown rice or beef (as the ubiquitous beef and barley soup is wont to attest.) I’ll be the first to admit that like most Americans, I hadn’t had much exposure to this wonderful grain except in soups, but I’m doing my level best to find ways to introduce it to as many people as possible.

So far, I haven’t had anyone turn their nose up at it.

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Brown Rice and Barley are good for more than just soups. Barley is overlooked in American cooking. The most common uses of the grain in the U.S. are actually Malt production for beer and animal food products. I think that’s a crying shame, and I’m on a mission to prove it. (Though I won’t ask them to stop making Malt, I do like me a beer now and again. O.K. A little too often, but that’s a different issue altogether.)

I originally put this recipe together as a side dish for some turkey thighs we had on hand, but there was just so much of this that Mrs. seat of her Pants and I ate this by itself, and it was wonderful as a main dish as well.

*Please note, the recipe as shown is made with Chicken Stock, though substituting Mushroom Stock, Vegetable Stock or water will convert this omnivorous version into a vegetarian version in seconds.

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