Baltic Christmas Day 6 - Koča (Baked Barley Porridge)

On Day 6 of 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas we are excited to welcome back food blogger and author Latvian Eats! Last year she shared a seasonal favorite, sauerkraut; I urge you to take another look at that post, as every holiday table can use a side of skābie kāposti! You can find the post Sauerkraut, 2 Ways here.

Liva was ‘born and bred’ in Rīga, but has been living in Perth, Australia for the last decade. She reports that she still enjoys a proper Latvian Christmas every year (just without the snow!), and tries to preserve Latvian traditions by facilitating the Perth Latvian School and updating the site latvianeats.com. Please extend a warm welcome to Liva!

As tradition calls, 9 dishes must be served on Christmas, and most Latvians would celebrate by having pork roast and sauerkraut, boiled grey peas with bacon, gingerbread and mandarins. But in the bygone days a truly traditional Christmas dish was koča or kūķis. It is a simple dish, made from ingredients readily available - barley, sometimes peas and beans, and half a head of pig. While I would not expect anyone to cook pigs head for dinner, in days when hulled barley and sliced bacon is readily available in the shops, koča is a must have to add to your 9 dishes this Christmas.

You can find this recipe and many other winter-friendly recipes in my first book Latvian Eats: Soups, Stews & Porridge. Don’t forget to check out Latvian Eats for other recipes, upcoming books and cooking projects.

Koča

300g (0.6 lbs) streaky bacon
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
1 ½ cups pearl barley

4 cups water or vegetable stock

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F).

Finely chop onion and bacon, crush the garlic. Fry onion in a frypan for couple minutes until it becomes translucent. Add bacon and garlic and continue to cook until bacon has browned. Remove the mixture from the pan.

Add barley to the same pan and roast until it becomes golden brown.

Layer barley and bacon mixture in a medium ovenproof dish, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper. Add 4 cups of water or stock, cover with a lid or foil and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour, then remove the cover and bake for further 30 minutes. Add more water, if required.

Porridge is ready when barley is soft and loose and all liquid has been absorbed. Fluff the barley with a fork and season to taste when serving. 

Serves 4 hungry adults as a main or 8 as a side dish.

Paldies, Liva! These days it seems that many classics are being rediscovered, and grain dishes are gaining popularity as healthy, filling fare; koča falls into both categories! As I’m paging through your cookbook, I notice that the baked barley porridge is just one of many recipes that would be considered a classic Latvian food; frikadeļu zupa, aukstā zupa, skābeņu zupa and several other favorites are all included. I sincerely hope that Soups, Stews & Porridge is just the first in a series of Latvian Eats cookbooks – could I convince you to tackle desserts next?

Liva’s book is available from amazon.com, and more of her recipes can be found on her site Latvian Eats. Don’t forget to follow along Liva’s culinary adventures on Facebook and Instagram!

Tomorrow, on Day 7, join us for a quiet hike in the forest!