Barley Pilaf

To toast the barley:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a small Dutch oven or thick-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, put the barley in and increase the heat to high. Stir frequently, until the barley darkens and begins to smell nutty.

Once barley is toasted, reduce heat to medium. Add the minced garlic and stir for another minute or so, until the garlic is fragrant.

Add the stock, water and bay leaf to the barley garlic mixture and turn down to a simmer. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on your barley.

Note: If stuffing a pumpkin, at this time cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh. Replace the top, place the pumpkin in a pan with 1 inch of water and bake at 350F until easily pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes or so.

Once the barley is done, remove the bay leaf and discard. Remove the barley pan from heat and let sit.

Put remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a pan, and toast the sunflower seeds the same way you did the barley. Add onion and apple, and saute until translucent. Add frozen spinach and cover for 3 minutes, until spinach has cooked and can be easily mixed with the onion mixture.

Mix sunflower seed/onion/apple/spinach into the barley. Barley may have clumped a bit while sitting, but just fluff it with a fork when you add everything else in.

Add a dash or two of rice vinegar to taste. It doesn’t need much, just enough to finish the dish.

Serve as is for a side, or spoon stuffing into the roasted pumpkin and return to the 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Transfer to a pretty plate and bring the whole pumpkin to the table. To serve, scoop out some pumpkin flesh with the barley mixture.