Barley with mushrooms and Annurche apples

Ingredients for 4:

• 250 g pearl barley
• 3 Annurche apples
• 200 g fresh porcini mushrooms
• 1 shallot
• vegetable broth
• parsley
• 20 g extra virgin olive oil
• pepper to taste
• a pinch of salt

Difficulty: medium
Preparation time: 50 minutes

Preparation
Clean and trim the mushrooms, cut them into pieces and set them aside; wash the barley well under running water and mince the shallot.
Sauté the shallot in a pan until it becomes transparent, then add the barley. Let it toast for a few minutes, then add a ladle of hot broth. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking for about twenty minutes, adding more broth if necessary.
Meanwhile, rinse the apples and dice them into small cubes, leaving the peel on. When the barley is half cooked, add them to the pot along with the porcini mushrooms and mix well. When the barley is done, garnish with some chopped parsley and serve piping hot.