May 30th - Barley and The End

Cafe Davis came to an end. I would say it's bittersweet, but I think my waistline and my arteries really needed the break. So I guess it's good that we ended on what I would characterize as a semi-healthy note. Or at least barley has the potential to be healthy. It certainly is filling. I don't think that people are supposed to eat this much barley in one meal, but we all were troopers and kept slugging through. The menu was wild rice and barley stuffed mushrooms; French barley salad; lentil-barley burgers with fiery fruit salsa; and golden-crusted brussels sprouts.

We had two Minnesota natives at the table, so I was somewhat pleased with my inadvertent overture to Minnesota agriculture with the wild rice in the stuffed mushrooms. The mushrooms, however, were not the stand-outs of the meal... not even close. That prize goes to the lentil-barley burgers.When I said last time that the pork kabobs were the thing you should make from this month, I may have lied. These burgers are better, or at a minimum, a tie. And, they were almost a disaster.

I find that vegetarian nights are a little more challenging to cook because they often involve an inordinate amount of food prep - cutting, dicing, slicing, cubing, even chiffonade-ing. Plus this one required cooking a bunch of grains that take a while. So there I was, toiling along, trying to get everything done on time when I realized that it was 6:30 and I hadn't even started the burgers yet. I called Mike in off the bench to help me get that done (thank goodness he is such a whiz in the kitchen - I can always rely on him to make deliciousness happen). He got to work - cutting, dicing, slicing... you get the idea - and I was reading ahead in the menu, trying to make sure I was one step ahead of him in the prep process. It was about 6:45 when I had my "oh nooooooooooooooooooo!" moment. Apparently, after the patties were formed, they were supposed to chill in the refrigerator for an hour until firm. Why am I incapable of reading recipes in advance? Like, oh say, the day before? This is a persistent problem with me. Luckily, Mike kept an even head. He threw in some additional panko, vowed not to flip the patties too often, and hoped for the best. And the BEST was exactly what he achieved. Here is the amazing recipe - purveyors of sub-par veggie patties, you're on notice.

Lentil-Barley Burgers
Serves 6 (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups waqter
1/2 cup dried lentils
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup grated carrot
2 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp salt, divided
3/4 cup COOKED pearl barley
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)=
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
3 Tbsp canola oil, divided

Preparation
1. Combine 1 1/2 cups water and lentils in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain. Place half of lentils in a large bowl. Place remaining lentils in a food processor; process until smooth. Add processed lentils to whole lentils in bowl.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and carrot; saute 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tomato paste, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add onion mixture to lentils. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, barley, and next 5 ingredients (through egg); stir well. COVER and REFRIGERATE 1 HOUR or until firm.
3. Divide mixture into 6 portions, shaping each into a 3/4-to-1 inch-thick patty. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook each patty 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

Note - the recipe says to serve with the fiery fruit salsa. I thought the salsa was just okay. My advice: treat this like any other burger and serve it with whatever makes you happy, even if it's bacon. I don't know why more people don't go the veggie burger/bacon route. It sounds delicious to me.

Last but not least - my commentary on the guests. Joining us this night were Miriam Dickler, Jenny Schumi, Meris Mandernach, and Suzi Carter.

(From L to R: Miriam, Jenny, Suzi, and Meris)

Except for Mike, it was Ladies' Night at Cafe Davis, apparently. It was a nice, subdued, laid-back crowd for the last night. We stuffed ourselves barley-silly, ate too much delicious dessert (amazing cookie bar thingies that Miriam made, plus Kline's ice cream and a rhubarb masterpiece from Meris), drank some tasty wine (thanks Suzi!), and called it an early night. Thanks to everyone who participated in Cafe Davis this year - we had a blast, and we're grateful that we have an entire year to digest. I'll try to blog more regularly - first a little retrospective Cafe Davis by the numbers, a little bit on my plans for next year, and maybe some healthy recipes that fall more in the weight-loss category than in the over-indulgence category. We'll see. Regardless of whatever I end up writing, thanks again for coming along for the ride.