One of my favorite dishes to make with barley is stuffing. Portobello mushrooms cook quickly and make a nice container for stuffing. As the growing season slows down my palate turns away from the bright, ripe flavors of fresh summer vegetables. I crave a richer, more concentrated flavor that comes from slow cooking. Packed with intense tomato flavor, sun dried tomatoes taste like a long-simmered tomato sauce. I chopped up the tomatoes and tossed them into the cooked barley. The piney aroma of rosemary and tiny mozzarella balls brought an Italian influence. Use a tablespoon of oil from the sun dried tomatoes as a lubricating dressing for the barley stuffing. <br /> <br />The barley mixture is pressed into large portobello mushroom caps which only need to cook on a hot grill for 10 minutes. It’s always good to have a little green on your plate, so I served the stuffed mushrooms on a bed of sautéed kale. <br /> <br />Feel free to use whatever variety of barley you prefer. For this recipe I used pearl barley because it cooks quickly and doesn't need to soak overnight. Also, cook the mushrooms in the oven if you prefer not to use a grill.

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