Another Barley Dish - Italian Barley Stew

I saw recently on Breakfast Television a whole segment on barley. They called it Canada's answer to a superfood.  I also learned that there were different types of barley, which I really didn't know much about.  They made a stew-type dish using pot barley.  I did some research and I found out that pearl barley (which is what I used in my other post)  is the most common form used in cooking, but it is also the least nutritious because it is stripped of the bran layer.  Because of this it also cooks the fastest. Pot barley isn't as heavily processed, so it is more nutritious and takes a little longer to cook.  From what I was able to gather, you can pretty much use them interchangeably, with some possible slight modifications to cooking time.

This dish is a lot like a stew as well, but I found it thicker and more hearty.  For lack of a better name, I decided to call it an Italian barley stew simply because of the herbs that are used in it.

Ingredients:

1 onion, thinly chopped
2 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, peeled, quartered and thinly chopped
1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into approx. 1/2" cubes
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup pot barley, rinsed
1 cup chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Saute onion with oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat till they start to get a golden colour.  Add the garlic and carrots and saute for a couple of minutes until the carrots soften slightly.  Add the squash.  If the pot is dry, add a little bit of oil to the pan.  Saute for another couple of minutes.
2. Add the basil, oregano, salt and pepper and stir; saute for a minute.  Add the wine and scrape up all the bit at the bottom of the pot.  Add the barley and give it a stir.  Let it saute for another couple of minutes.
3. Stir in the broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and stir once again.  Lower the heat, cover the pot and let it simmer for about 45 minutes until the barley is cooked and tender.  Stir occasionally to prevent the stew from burning
4. Remove from heat and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.  Place into serving bowls and sprinkle grated cheese over top