Mushroom Kuba

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  Rinse the barley well under cold running water in a colander, pour into a pot, cover with water so that it is about two centimeters above the barley, and let it stand for about an hour.
• 2
  Then drain, cover with new water, add a teaspoon of salt, bring to a very gentle boil and cook uncovered until almost tender, which takes about 30 minutes. If you like, add a tablespoon of butter to the cooking water. You can also leave the barley on a low heat for longer and let it swell a bit more. It will take about an hour in total for the barley to absorb almost all the cooking water.
• 3
  At the same time as soaking the barley, pour just under a liter of water over the mushrooms, bring to a boil, remove from heat and let them cool and soften slowly. If you want the mushrooms to be more tender, soak them in cold water the day before instead of the mentioned boiling.
• 4
  Once the barley is cooked, peel the onion and chop it finely. Start preheating the oven to 180 degrees.
• 5
  In a larger pan, melt the lard and use a small part of it to grease a smaller baking dish. Add the onion to the hot lard in the pan and fry over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it softens and begins to brown.
• 6
  Drain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Chop the mushrooms coarsely, add them to the onion, and continue to stir and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
• 7
  Add the marjoram to the onion in the pan, but first crush it in your hands to release its aroma. Drain the barley if there is still water left, and add it to the pan.
• 8
  Take 100-150 ml of the mushroom liquid – avoid what is left at the bottom, as there are often a few small stones that are only good for breaking a tooth. Pour into the pan and let it simmer gently for about 5 minutes until the liquid almost evaporates. You can repeat this step 2-3 times.
• 9
  Peel the garlic, press it, and mix everything together in the pan. Taste, and if necessary, season with salt.
• 10
  Spread the mixture from the pan into the baking dish, place in the oven, and bake for half an hour. Meanwhile, the barley will turn nicely golden on the surface and start to become crispy in places, so don't overdo the baking time and occasionally stir the contents of the baking dish. Serve with pickles or sauerkraut.