Yogurt Flatbread with Vegan Mushroom and Barley Stew | Vegetarian

This is embarrassing. I made this recipe last year and completely forgot to post it. haha But it’s a great recipe, so here it is! Better late than never! This is a great vegetarian recipe, perfect for Meatless Mondays and reduce the amount of meat we eat. If you are vegan and don’t want to use regular cow milk Greek yogurt and butter, you can try using a vegan unsweetened yogurt and olive oil, or simply eat the mushroom ragout and barley by themselves, it’ll still be delicious.

I’m not really a fan of mushrooms, but when they are prepared well, wow! So delicious! I usually create my own recipes, but it’s also nice to go out of our comfort zone and try new things, new ingredients, new ways of cooking (I did, however, alter this recipe slightly). Although this recipe does take a bit more time and effort to make, the process is actually simple, and the dough and ragout can be prepared ahead of time and put together when ready to serve. I made mine the day before and it was just as delicious. A great dish for a cool fall or winter night. This could be a fancy appetizer, or a dinner, served with a large green salad (like this one) at a Friday night dinner with friends, where everyone will think you had to take the day off just to cook! I won’t tell anyone if you don’t! 😉 This is an amazingly delicious recipe from the vegetarian cookbook Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, a renowned chef and author from Israel, based in London, England. Here is an excerpt from the book that I really connect with and love:

“The food I had growing up was a huge mixture of diverse culinary cultures — European at home and Middle Eastern all around — with an abundance of easily sourced fresh ingredients. The greengrocer’s where my mother does her shopping in the neighboring Arab village always reminds me of this. It sells a fantastically fresh abundance of local and seasonal fruit and veg, what I call real fruit and veg because they look real, taste real and are grown by real people — that is, Arab or Jewish farmers and not nameless farmers across the globe. It sells cucumbers, kohlrabis, figs, pomegranates, apricots, almonds and pistachios, as well as herbs from the area, local halva, olive oil and much more. Both my parents used this wealth daily to prepare real meals of real food, which is their food. This multitude of ingredients and ways of making miracles with them have given me the perfect tools for making up dishes and turning them into recipes. This is also why vegetarian cooking didn’t turn out to be a chore for me. I like meat and I like fish but I can easily cook without them. My grandmother’s vinegar-marinated zucchini, or the ripe figs with sheep’s cheese we used to down before dinner, are as substantial and as basic as any cut of meat I used to have.”

This is a wonderfully soothing and comforting dish due to the smooth textures of the mushrooms and barley. As amazing as the flatbreads are, you don’t have to make them if you are short on time.

Make sure you like/share/pin this recipe, cuz… it’s pretty awesome!

Enjoy!

ECP xo

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Yogurt Flatbread with Vegan Mushroom and Barley Stew | Vegetarian

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: European

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

A delicious dinner recipe for this yogurt flatbread with a vegan mushroom and barley stew. Delicious and simple to make!

Ingredients

Flatbreads

• 1/4 cup organic whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 1/2 cup rye flour
• 1 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt
• 3/4 cup organic Greek yogurt
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (+ extra to garnish)
• 2 Tbsp organic butter melted
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Mushroom Ragout

• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 4 cups organic mushrooms (like cremini and shiitake), washed and sliced
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 Tbsp organic butter
• 2 thyme sprigs (or 1 tsp dried organic thyme)
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley plus extra to garnish
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh, not concentrate)
• 6 Tbsp organic Greek yogurt

Instructions

1. To make the flatbreads. Combine all the ingredients, except the butter, in a bowl, and using your (clean) hands, mix everything together to a dry dough; add more flour if needed. Knead the dough for a minute or so, until it is smooth. Wrap it in plastic wrap and put in the fridge to cool down for at least an hour.
2. To make the mushroom ragout: Rinse the barley in cold water, put in a medium-size pot, and cover with plenty of fresh water (spring or filtered). Simmer for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until al dente.
3. Put the fresh mushrooms in a large heavy pan with the olive oil over medium heat, along with half the butter and the thyme, and sauté for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the mushrooms have softened, add the garlic and wine and allow to bubble away for about 5 minutes. Lower the temperature and let simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. Then, stir in the remaining butter with the parsley, lemon juice and cooked barley. You will end-up with a thick sauce. Add more water if needed and taste for seasoning. Set aside; reheat before serving.
4. When ready to make the flatbreads, divide your dough into six pieces. Roll into balls, then flatten them with your hands, or with a rolling pin into round discs about 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Heat some good quality olive oil in a large heavy pan and fry the flatbreads, one at a time, on medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Add more oil if needed and keep the flatbreads warm after being cooked.
5. Serve each warm flatbread with warm ragout on top, a spoonful of yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh parsley and fresh cilantro.

Note: I do not believe anyone should worry about counting calories, but here is the nutritional information for one serving
Calories: 580kcal | Fat: 33g | Saturated fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 767mg | Potassium: 755mg | Carbohydrates: 53g | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 4g | Protein: 16g | Vitamin A: 735% | Vitamin C: 7% | Calcium: 172% | Iron: 2.9%