Instructions: Made this the other day, we liked it! The sauce would be good on other things as well. Both recipes are from _The Natural Gourmet_ by Annemarie Colbin.

24 - 30 croquettes

Wash and dice the celery and carrot and place in a pressure cooker (or a 4 quart sauce pan) along with the barley, water , salt, and a few grindings of pepper, basil, and bay leaves. Bring to pressure (or a boil) over high heat, then reduce heat to low and pressure cook for 40 minutes (or simmer, covered, for 1 hour), or until the barley is tender. Wash and chop the parsley. When barley is finished cooking and the pressure is down, remove the bay leaves. Place half grain in a food processor and process until well mixed but not pureed. Combine with the remaining grain in a large bowl and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Moisten your fingers with water and form barley into 2 1/2 inch round croquettes or patties. Fry in non stick skillet sprayed very lightly with cooking spray. Alternatively, brush with oil and place on oiled baking sheets and bake for 1 hour, or until lightly browned. Serve hot with Shitake Mushroom sauce, garnished with chopped parsley.

Shitake Mushroom Sauce - 2 cups:
Place mushrooms in small bowl. Bring 1 cup water to boil, pour over the mushrooms and set aside to soak until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain mushrooms and press out excess liquid, reserving the soaking water. Cut off tough stems and discard. Slice mushrooms into thin strips. Place 2 - 3 tablespoons soaking water in a small saucepan along with the shallots or garlic and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce. Simmer, stirring until the shallots are tender, about 3 - 5 minutes, adding more liquid if necessary.

Add the mushrooms and simmer for 1 minute more. Add the remaining soaking water, 1 1/4 cups additional water, the soy sauce and lemon juice.

Dissolve the kuzu or cornstarch in remaining 1 cup water. Bring sauce to a simmer, add the kuzu and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and translucent. Add mustard if you wish. Serve hot.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.