Barley mushroom risotto

Barley mushroom risotto anyone? If you like risotto you would love my variation. It is healthier and still tastes like conventional risotto.

I have not made risotto in for ever for the simple reason that I don’t like using simple carbohydrates for my recipes. I really love risotto so I had to device a method of making it healthier. Why didn’t I think of this before? I guess better later than never.

This barley risotto recipe turned out great. I used a barley type they sell at Trader Joes which is suppose to take less time to cook, however, it took me about a good 20-25 minutes to get the risotto to the desire consistency as well as more water than anticipated. All in all it was worth the time because the end result was magnificent.

I actually make double the quantity and freeze a large portion of whatever I am cooking for future days. This method works rather well for me because it saves me cooking time on those days I am super busy.

You can make this barley mushroom risotto with other veggies if you like. I love mushrooms so that is what I used. I have also made a the same type of risotto using green tea and pesto which I will be adding this recipe to my upcoming cookbook. It was great too, very unique to say the least.

Well, I don’t have too much to elaborate on for this recipe and post. I wanted to get this recipe out quickly so that you could give it a try. I have been really busy with school and time is really tight nowadays, however, I wanted to keep my blog live. After all, I still have to eat and I do love cooking and baking so the recipe posting must go on!

Enjoy!

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Barley mushroom risotto

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 6-8 servings

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups barley
• 6-7 cups warm water or vegetable stock
• 20 oz sliced mushrooms
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp celtic salt
• Fresh parley, cilantro or rosemary

Directions:

In a 3 qt dutch oven, or any other pot of your choice, over medium to high heat add the olive oil and onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they are soft and are almost cooked. About 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic and salt and cook the garlic until fragrant, about one minute. Add the white wine and reduce by half. Add the barley and coat it with the goodness in the pan. Add 1 cup of water or vegetable stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the flame to medium low, preferably low, and don't add anymore liquid until the one cup has been consumed. Repeat this step until all your liquid is gone adding one cup at a time and stirring the risotto each time you add more liquid.

If you find your barley it is still hard after the 6 cups have been consumed add more liquid until your barley becomes soft. It make take you an extra 2 cups depending on what type of barley you used.

When the barley is soft to your liking, make sure you still have a little bit of liquid still in the pot, as this will make your barley nice and creamy, turn the heat off. At this stage you can add the herbs and parmesan cheese. Stir and serve while still warm.