Yogurt Flatbreads with Barley and Mushrooms
This is one of my favorite dishes. It’s pretty simple to make, but more so it’s a bomb of flavors and textures. It has the slightly crispy and doughiness of a flatbread mixed with the chew of barley, and the deepness of mushrooms that is offset with the tang of yogurt, and raw onions. Add an egg on top that turns it into a meal (savory breakfast!) plus the yolk combines perfectly with the mushrooms to bring an even greater richness to the dish.
I usually think of mushroom dishes being more of a cool weather body warming food, but this dish is surprisingly light and I think it’s perfect for a warm fall day.
This delight is an Ottolenghi recipe from Plenty that I slightly modified. – Someone recently DMed me and told me it’s annoying that I don’t post the original recipes. If you want the original recipe, you can look in the cookbook and sometimes you can find the original recipe on another blog. l often modify things to make my life easier whether it’s to reduce the number of dirty dishes or not allowing ingredient sourcing to become a burden. I also include more details in the instructions so if you aren’t familiar with cooking, you can follow along without guessing. I’m not saying my version is better, but it is what works for me.
Yogurt Flatbreads with Barley and Mushrooms Ingredients
Flatbreads
1 c plus 2 tsp whole wheat flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ chopped cilantro
¾ c Greek yogurt
2-3 Tbl Butter
Mushroom Ragout
½ c hulled barley
1 ¼ + more c water
¾ oz dried porcini
10 oz mixed mushrooms (have about ½ white mushrooms)
2 Tbl olive oil
5 Tbl butter
½ tsp dried thyme
½ c white wine
2 tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 Tbl parlsey
½ Tbl pickled lemon
1 Tbl lemon juice
6 Tbl Greek yogurt
6 Tbl diced white onion
Aleppo pepper
Flatbreads Directions
In a medium bowl, add 1 c plus 2 tsp whole-wheat flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ c cilantro. Mix until well combined.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add ¾ c Greek yogurt. Mix it with your hands until it comes together. Gently push the dough forward with the heel of your hand until it becomes smooth.
Cover the bowl with the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
About 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve the dish, divide the dough into 6 even pieces.
Pat each piece down and bring perimeter of the circle to the center of the dough. Pinch the seam together and put the seam side down on the counter. Cup the dough with your dominant hand while the heel of your hand and finger tips are on the counter. Quickly move your hands in a small circle to tighten the ball. Cover the balls and let them rest about 10 minutes.
Take 1 ball at a time and pat it down on a floured surface. Sprinkle the top with flour and roll the dough into a flat circle about ⅛” -¼” thick.
Heat a cast iron frying pan to medium heat. Add enough butter to coat the bottom of the pan. You should hear a gentle sizzle when the butter hits the pan. Add 1 disc of dough. Cook for about 2 minutes until the underside is golden brown. Flip it over and cook about 1-2 more minutes until both sides are golden brown.
Mushroom Ragout Directions
Put ½ c of hulled barley in a saucepan with 1 ¼ c water. Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 35 minutes until the water is absorbed and the barley is tender but chewy.
Add ¾ oz of dried porcini in a small bowl and just cover the mushrooms with warm water.
Take the 10 oz of fresh mushroom and slice them thinly. The shape will depend on which mushrooms you use.
Heat 2 Tbl of olive oil in a saute pan until it shimmers. Add 1 slice of fresh mushrooms. You should hear a medium sizzle. If not, adjust the heat. Add the remaining fresh mushrooms with ¼ tsp salt, 3 Tbl butter, and ½ tsp thyme. Stir occasionally until the mushrooms have leached out their water and are no longer spongy.
Add ½ c white wine to the saute pan. Bring the liquid to a simmer (small bubbles) for about 15 minutes. Add 2 tsp minced garlic and let it simmer 5 for minutes.
Add the porcinis and its soaking liquid to the saute pan. Make sure you don’t put the grit in the bottle of the bowl into the pot. Add a ½ tsp black pepper pepper and let it cook about 10 more minutes or until most of the liquid is gone.
Stir in 2 Tbl of butter, 2 Tbl parsley, ½ Tbl preserved lemon, and 1 Tbl lemon juice into the mushroom mixture. Turn off the heat and stir in the cooked barley. Taste. Add salt if needed.
To plate it, spoon some of the barley mixture on top of the flatbread. Add a dollop of yogurt and sprinkle with chopped onion and Aleppo pepper for garnish.
Notes
I usually add a fried egg on top of the barley and under the garnishes to make it a meal.
Cilantro in place of the parsley is really good.
If you don’t have pickled or preserved lemon, use lemon zest or omit all together. I like the freshness it brings so I only omit it if I don’t have any of it.
Do not go shopping for Aleppo pepper. You can use crushed red pepper or just omit it.
