Barley Gruel

A thin barley drink from the invalid-cookery chapter, thickened only by starch released in a long simmer and fortified with a substantial amount of port.

• Quantities in modern terms4 ounces of pearl barley is about 1/2 cup plus a spoonful; 2 quarts is 8 cups. Three-quarters of a pint in an American book is 12 fl oz, though if the source drew on British measures it would be 15 fl oz -- either way, a very generous pour.
• The reduction is the recipeSimmering 2 quarts down to 1 takes roughly 1 to 1 1/2 hours uncovered at a bare simmer. Boiling hard will scorch the starch on the pan bottom and cloud the flavour; keep it just trembling and stir occasionally.
• Pearl barley, then and nowPearl barley is still sold under that name and behaves the same. Hulled or pot barley will need longer and gives a nuttier, cloudier gruel; quick-cooking barley will turn to mush before the liquid reduces.
• StrainingPour through a fine sieve and resist pressing the grain through -- the point of a gruel is a smooth, drinkable liquid. The spent barley is perfectly good stirred into soup.
• Sugar unspecifiedNo amount is given. Start with 2 tablespoons for the quart and taste; port brings its own sweetness, so this should not end up syrupy.
• The portThe recipe says to heat it up once the wine is in, but keep it to a bare warmth rather than a boil: prolonged heat drives off much of the alcohol and leaves a flat, stewed taste.
• Yield and keepingAbout a quart plus the wine, so roughly seven or eight teacup servings. Refrigerate and reheat gently; the starch will thicken and settle on standing, so stir before pouring, and thin with a little water if it has set.
• A note on the alcohol12 to 15 ounces of port in a quart of gruel is a meaningful dose per cup. Treat it as a strong drink rather than a nourishing broth, and leave the wine out entirely for children or anyone avoiding alcohol.