Autumn Butternut, Kale and Barley Stew with Panfried Chili Tempeh and Pepitas

For a dish I totally improvised by what I had on hand, this one turned out too good not to share. The cold days of autumn are upon Canada, which means warm, hearty stews are very welcome indeed. Especially if they don't require a lot of effort to prepare and are loaded with nutritious ingredients!

Here, I use the high-protein grain barley, vitamin-rich seasonal kale and butternut squash, and some panfried tempeh for the star of the show. I would recommend using pot/hulled barley if you can find it, as although it takes longer to cook it retains its bran and thus is higher in fibre than pearl barley. I used pearl barley here, but pot barley also yields "stickier' grains as it cooks that I really like in a stew or soup, though it you want more separate, pasta-like grains, go for pearl barley as it's still plenty nutritious.

The stew comes together incredibly quickly, and you can start up on cooking the barley while the squash is roasting (this gives it an amazing depth of flavour) and you're washing and chopping the kale. The nuttiness of barley, sweet roasted squash, and robust kale all go amazingly together, which is why you don't need a whole lot else.

As for the tempeh, there are few things in this world that I like more than fried tempeh, so it made a natural choice- also, it's extremely high in protein and tastes amazing with a little spicy chili flakes and toasted pepitas. On top of the stew, it gives a little something crunchy, toasty and savoury. You can make extra and use it in sandwiches with a little veg mayo for a treat. 

Autumn Butternut, Kale and Barley Stew with Panfried Chili Tempeh and Pepitas
Serves 2-3

For the Stew:
1/2 C. Pearl or pot barley
1 Large head kale, chopped up finely
1 Small butternut squash
2 Tsp. Olive oil (you can use more for a richer dish)
1 Large or 2 small yellow onions, finely diced
3 Cloves garlic, minced
3-4 C. Vegetable or mushroom broth
1/4 C. Cooking wine, sherry, or dry white wine (I used Taiwanese cooking wine)
Handful of fresh thyme sprigs, or 3 Tsp. dried thyme
2 Tsp. Herbs de Provence
1 Tsp. Sweet paprika
1 Tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
1 Bay leaf
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 220℃. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the inner seeds. Turn face-side down onto lightly oiled aluminium foil and roast until extremely tender and soft, about 30 minutes.

Heat up oil in a large skillet and add the onions, garlic, thyme, pepper and some salt. Cook until the onions become more translucent, adding the cooking wine as necessary to keep them from drying out.
Add the barley and toast slightly for a few seconds, then add the broth and remaining spices. Cover and simmer, stirring frequently to prevent burning on the bottom and adding more water as necessary.

When the squash is done, simply peel off the skin- it comes right off after roasting. Take the flesh and add it to the stew, and don't worry about it being chunky as with a good bit of stirring it will dissolve into a purée.

Continue to simmer until the barley is tender and cooked through. Add the kale and cook an additional 5-6 minutes until wilted, then remove from heat and let sit, covered, for about 10 minutes. Taste and add more of the spices as you see fit.

For the Tempeh:
150 g. Tempeh, in 1cm thick slices
1-2 Tsp. Olive oil
2 Tsp. Red chili pepper flakes
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Sweet paprika
2 TBSP Pepitas/pumpkinseeds

Heat up the oil in a small frying pan and add the tempeh slices. Fry on high heat, sprinkling each side with salt and paprika. Once you've already flipped the tempeh once, add the pepitas and chili flakes and toast them alongside the tempeh until it's finished- make sure the pepitas get nicely toasted. Serve on top of the stew.