Serving for two
3 ½ cups vegetable stock
1 cup pearl barley
1 head smoked garlic
6 oz curly kale
¼ c quality olive oil
7 oz goat cheese
Heat stock in deep pot and add barley once stock boils.
Cut smoke garlic in half horizontally slicing through skin and cloves
Drop in garlic and cook for about 35 minutes, check that barley is softened but still a little chewy.
Cut stems from kale and set aside the leaves. Rough chop the stems. Pile leaves on top of each other and finely shred into ribbons.
Remove garlic and scoop out flesh with a knife and crush to a paste. Discard skins. Any clove that fell out can remain in barley.
Heat oil in large, shallow pan and add the chopped kale stems and cook for a few minutes till tender, then add leaves. Sizzle for a couple of more minutes until tender then fold in barley, together with the goat cheese.
Notes:
Some barleys might require less liquid. Observe package directions for cook times and ratio of liquid to barely.
You could also use spinach, Swiss chard, or dandelion greens.
Mozzarella is a substitute for goat cheese.
The nutty quality of barley is desirable, but one could use orzo pasta for a softer consistency.