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Barley Gruel
Barley Gruel is a traditional Medieval recipe for the staple of barley cooked in almond milk, used as a breakfast, a snack and a main meal in and of itself. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Medieval version of Barley Gruel.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
40 minutes
Total Time:
60 minutes
Serves:
6
Rating: 
Tags : British RecipesEnglish Recipes
Gruel is one of those foods that immediately seems to make people think of Dickens. However, before the advent of potatoes this
was a cheap staple foodstuff. The recipe presented here would be a more expensive version fit for a more well-heeled table. It is also the basic component for a number of other recipes.
Modern Redaction
Method:
First prepare the pearl barley by soaking in a bowl of water for an hour. Wash the grains, place in a saucepan and just cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cover with a lid. Allow to cook for about twenty minutes until the grains become soft (periodically check the water level and if necessary top-up with more boiling water). When the barley has softened remove from the heat and mash to a pulp.
In another pan, bring the almond milk to the boil and add the mashed barley, stirring-in well. Return this to the boil and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the honey and salt. Continue simmering for ten minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture has thickened slightly. Most Medieval recipes say of gruel grynd it smal and drawe the grewel thurgh a Straynour. For the modern cook this means that the final product should be of a smooth consistency; the easiest way of achieving this is to run the gruel through a liquidizer or a food processor.
Serve immediately. (Alternatively if preparing this for another recipe the gruel will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.
