Celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday this month with Canadian inspired recipes! Our homegrown grain is part of Canada’s rich and vibrant agriculture scene. And when it comes to versatility, barley has endless possibilities due to its neutral colour and slightly nutty flavour. Can’t decide on which classic Canadian dish to serve this month? I’ve got you covered with these three GoBarley recipes.
Alberta Lamb Stew with Barley, Feta and Herb Dumplings
Many Canadians have a go-to stew recipe that has been passed down or inherited from our relatives. This one pot tasty, time-friendly supper of veggies, Alberta lean ground lamb and fluffy herbed dumplings is full of Canadian ingredients.
Using delicious Alberta ground lamb speeds up the cooking time compared to traditional Irish-style stew with lamb chunks and hours of simmering. Canada is known for its root vegetables including carrots and rutabaga, which add flavour and nutrition to this simple dish.
Jane’s Meal Planning Tip
This stew only takes 60 minutes to cook, but remember to leave an extra 15 minutes for peeling and chopping the vegetables. I also use low sodium tomato juice to reduce the amount of salt in the recipe.
Blueberry Grunt
This no-fuss, one saucepan dessert is a traditional Eastern Canadian favourite eliminating the oven heat in the summer and making clean up easy. What is a grunt? Folklore suggests the dessert was named because of the grunting sounds it makes while cooking, but you might hear those sounds instead while it’s being eaten!
Jane’s Meal Planning Tip
Make sure you let the dumplings cook in the blueberry sauce without lifting the lid of the saucepan. This will ensure thoroughly cooked and nicely puffed dumplings.
Prairie Streusel Topped Cake
This antioxidant-rich recipe, featuring two Canadian culinary favourites Saskatoon berries and sliced rhubarb, is seasonal deliciousness and a must-have for any Canadian menu.
The whole barley flour gives the streusel topping a rich, nutty flavour. Saskatoon berries, often referred as “Saskatoons” by Canadians are purplish-blue berries grown on a shrub type bush. Although they look similar to blueberries they have a unique flavour that is excellent in desserts (like this one) preserves and very tasty right off the bush.
Jane’s Meal Planning Tip
There is no cutting, peeling or pitting with Saskatoon berries! Simply rinse and drain the berries before adding them to the recipe. This cake can be enjoyed at room temperature so it is perfect for the typical Canadian backyard BBQ.
Barley Bottom-line
Celebrating Canada’s extra-special birthday with these homegrown delicious GoBarley recipes makes you proud to be Canadian. Let us know your favourite bold Canadiana recipe using barley!
