Meatless Monday on Wednesday

I was planning to do a mind blowing post on falafel this week, but between forgetting to soak the chick peas overnight on Sunday and then realizing that I needed to get a little more in depth to sell falafel virgins on the idea, I got a little behind. But rest assured, the treat from the middle east  is coming to a Monday near you ASAP.
In the meantime in between time, I have whipped up one of my favorite, but often forgotten dishes that is so much easier and yummier than you might think. This one comes from the good ole Joy of Cooking, my kitchen bible, with a few tweaks.

Barely and Mushroom "Risotto"

6 tbl butter
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
8 oz diced mushrooms, shitake are awesome, but others are fine
1 cup barley
2/3 white wine
1 tbl crushed garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
6 cups stock, vegetable stock makes it truly meatless, but chicken stock works great too

In a large saucepan, heat the stock so it is hot, but not simmering. Put it on a low heat to keep it warm. Melt the butter in a large skillet and cook the onions until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened. Reduce the heat to med/low and add the barley. Stir to coat the barley with butter. Add the wine, garlic, salt and pepper and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in 2 cups of the stock and simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed. Then add stock 1/2 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. Stir often. The barley will need 46-60 minutes to become tender and if you run out of stock just add warm water.
This is not a true risotto, because it does no contain rice, but is is creamy and delicious. It gets barley out on the soup and into a glorious spot on a plate where it belongs.