Name: Christmas mushroom kuba
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 300 g pearl barley; 40 g porcini mushrooms; 2 pcs onion; 6 cloves garlic; 80 g lard; 2 teaspoons marjoram; 1 teaspoon caraway; salt; black pepper; 1.5 l water

Ingredients

4portions

Ingredients

300 gpearl barley

40 gporcini mushrooms

2 pcsonion

6 clovesgarlic

80 glard

2 teaspoonsmarjoram

1 teaspooncaraway

salt(to taste)

black pepper(to taste)

1,5 lwater(for boiling)

Step by step process

Preparation

1
Christmas kuba starts with dried porcini. Pour hot water over them. Let them soak for at least thirty minutes, until soft and fragrant.
2
Rinse the barley several times in a sieve. Peel the onion and chop it finely. Crush or finely chop the garlic.

Cooking

3
Put the rinsed barley in a pot. Cover it with plenty of fresh water. Salt it lightly. Simmer over medium heat for about twenty-five minutes, until almost tender but still firm.
4
Drain the soaked mushrooms and keep the liquid. Chop the mushrooms. Fry them slowly with the onion in half of the lard, until golden.
5
Add the garlic, caraway and marjoram. Stir briefly. Mix in the cooked barley and a few spoonfuls of the reserved mushroom liquid.

Baking

6
Grease a baking dish with the rest of the lard. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Spread it evenly. Bake at 190 degrees Celsius for about twenty-five minutes.
7
Stir the kuba once during baking. If the top looks dry, drizzle it with a little mushroom liquid. It should stay tender inside and lightly roasted on top.

Serving

8
Take the kuba out of the oven. Let it rest for five minutes so the flavour settles. Serve it warm as a hearty main. It goes well with cabbage or pickled cucumber.