The Sardinian diet contains a lot of vegetables and is known for good helpings of barley and Pecorino, a sheep’s milk cheese. While not recreating a Sardinian dish, we've been inspired, for this hearty bean and barley stew, by those Sardinian ingredients. Warming and comforting, it's filled with barley and convenient, protein-packed Borlotti beans and infused with flavour from carrots, onions, fennel, and herby thyme. It's also packed with Italian lacinato kale for a healthy dose of greens.
Pecorino Romano
This sheep’s milk cheese is a staple of the Sardinian diet. Studies have shown that pecorino Romano contains considerable amounts of beneficial unsaturated fatty acids like omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid. The milk for this cheese comes from sheep that graze on grass in mountain pastures in Sardinia, Italy. The cheese is made with an innesto, a type of lactobacilli culture, or starter, that is local to the area of production.
You may find cheese in the grocery store simply labelled Pecorino, so if you want the authentic version, look for the PDO (protected designation of origin) label, the guarantee of true pecorino Romano.
Bean and Barley Stew with Pecorino
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 3/4 cups (435 mL) finely diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 large sprigs of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup (250 mL) finely diced carrot
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) finely diced celery
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) sliced fennel stalks
- Pinch salt
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper
- 1 cup (250 mL) pot barley, rinsed and drained
- 6 cups (1.5 L) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 13.5 oz (398 mL) can Romano or borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups (500 mL) finely sliced lacinato kale
- 3/4 oz (22 g) pecorino Romano cheese
Directions
01
In large pot over medium heat, add olive oil and sauté onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf until softened, about 5 minutes. Add carrot, celery, and fennel and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and barley and stir thoroughly to combine. Add 3 cups (750 mL) vegetable broth, or enough to cover the contents. Increase heat to bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for about 35 minutes, until barley is tender. Add beans and kale; simmer gently for another 10 minutes. Warm remaining vegetable broth and add it as needed, 1 cup (250 mL) at a time, until you have a thick, soupy texture.
02
To serve, ladle stew into bowls and use a vegetable peeler to grate a few slices of pecorino over each.
