Up for some variety? Try barley casserole

Craig Claiborne's "New York Times Cookbook" is an excellent resource. For years I kept a copy at my mom's vacation place in Florida, and when I was there with her last week, she insisted I take it home, since we don't use it as much as I'd thought we might when we're at the beach. It's got no glossy photos, just really lovely recipes, many of them pretty simple. So I packed it into my suitcase and brought it home where I can put it to good use.

Yesterday we invited friends over for Sunday dinner, and then circumstances dictated I had to work most of the day. So I didn't have much time to prepare anything. Dave agreed to grill pork chops, one set of guests agreed to bring a salad and our other guests agreed to bring a dessert. So my only responsibility was a side dish. Potatoes? Rice? Pasta? No, I wanted to do something more interesting. I thumbed through Claiborne's cookbook and found a recipe for barley mushroom casserole that was delightful. I love barley. It deserves better than its status as just something to throw into soup. And this was very easy to put together in the short time I had between work and my party. I used twice the barley and broth that Claiborne recommended , so we'd have enough for our party of six. Here's my adaptation of his recipe:

Barley mushroom casserole

2 cups pearl barley
1 large onion, chopped
5 tablespoons butter
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

Melt butter in a deep skillet. Cook onion and mushrooms until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add barley and cook until slightly browned. Add two cups broth. Bring to a boil. Pour into a buttered casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, add remaining broth. Cook, covered, another 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and barley is tender.