You can cut the prep time of this dish drastically if you use brown rice instead of barley. Barley is nice and chewy, but some might not like the consistency of an unfamiliar grain.
Mats:
1 cup pearl barley
2 cups red kuri squash
1 Tbsp butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4c heavy cream
2 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 2 tsp dried)
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp apple vinegar (I used red apple balsamic, but apple cider is also good)
1/2c feta cheese, crumbled
How-to:
Cook the barley. 1 cup of barley, 3 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium low, cook for 45-50 minutes.
Meanwhile, cube the squash. Cut the stem off the top, then split the squash. Scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh with a spoon (like you would with a butternut squash or a pumpkin). Slice the squash into cubes. You don't have to peel it! Just give it a good scrub before chopping up and the rind of the plant is delicious.
Put the cubed squash into a medium pot and fill with water. Bring to a full boil and cook for 10 minutes or until the squash is tender. You need to be able to easily pierce the rind-side with a fork.
Drain the squash, reserving 3/4c of the cooking water.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute for 7 minutes or until translucent. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 more minute, then remove from heat.
Put the squash, thyme, nutmeg, cream, and 2/3c of the reserved cooking water into a food processor and puree. If it's too thick and your processor is seizing up, add the rest of the reserved water. Process until you have a smooth sauce with no visible lumps.
Hopefully your barley is done cooking now, so dump that in a big serving bowl and add the onion/garlic mixture and pour the squash puree over top. Stir in the apple vinegar.
When serving, sprinkle the feta cheese on top and enjoy.
