Barley with mushroom risotto
Isn’t this a lovely wintry dish?. Barley Risotto Field Mushrooms and balsamic. I almost feel a little pang of guilt suggesting you make this. There is so much backlash against the humble grain that it seems almost indulgent. The truth is that for most of us grains and a few carbs here and there are essential. I really think that we just need to concentrate on eating some good home cooked foods….and that is exactly what this is. I have used barley instead of rice to make a risotto and it is deliciously textural and quite flavoursome. If you haven’t hunted down a good deli to buy some Italian risotto rice, either Carnaroli or Vialone Nano (this is a protected product and doesn’t grow any where else – officially) then barley is a far better grain to use than the gluggy nasty “aborio” rice you can get in the big supermarkets. (If you would like to know the differences and the uses of the two Italian rices then just let me know).
There are lots of other uses for barley, once you have a pack in your possession. Try using it in a soup or stew instead of rice or couscous. Great for a tabouli. Use it with roasted vegetables and crumbled feta or instead of potato with a steak and some nice mustard mushroom sauce. What’s the difference between Farro, Barley and Quinoa?
Quinoa,Farro and Barley
1. Quinoa cooked and raw 2. Farro (Spelt) cooked and raw 3. the lighter coloured Barley cooked and raw
To begin both the Farro ( spelt) and the barley I’ve used are ” pearled”, which means they have had the outer husk removed. This takes away just a little of it’s wholegrain qualities but it allows them to be cooked without soaking and quite quickly. They boil in about the same time as rice, with the Farro taking about 5 minutes longer.
Quinoa is proving not only to be a nutritious super-food but it boils quickly and can be used instead of rice or couscous and can be shaped into all kinds of delicious patties with the addition of some flavourings, egg and/ or breadcrumbs. It’s even great thrown into muffins and cakes! It is a plant that resembles grass and although the seeds( quinoa) are very wholegrain in nature they aren’t actually a grain at all.
Farro ( or spelt) is a naturally organic grain. It can grow without pesticide or fertilisers and is almost weed-like when it gets growing. Although from the wheat family it contains less gluten, making it more easily digested for some. There is a lot more of it grown now that it has been discovered to contain “less” gluten. It was not grown commercially for many years as it grows very slowly compared to other varieties of wheat. It never lost popularity in places like Italy, but now they have to share their Spelt with us. Use it for Farro salad with peas, butternut pumpkin and feta, thicken soups with it, use it in cheesy bakes. It is also ground into a flour and used for baking.
Fabulously fresh Salad. Farro is a great grain for salads
Barley is a cereal grain grown all over the world. It has a nutty chewy texture that is very similar to brown rice, but before you get turned off by that it’s a lot softer. There is no doubt it makes a great soup but it’s also great for: Stuffing chicken or vegetables like squash or mushrooms, mixed into burger mince, in a fritatta, or as a pilaf and risotto.
Roasted mushroom with barley risotto
Barley Risotto, Field Mushrooms and balsamic
Ingredients
Method
- Using a shallow sided medium pot sweat the onion, garlic and 3 mushrooms roughly cut in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. When heated through add the barley and saute until coated and hot. Add 1 cup of stock and a little salt and pepper . Let this almost absorb before adding another cup of stock.
- While the risotto is cooking chop the remaining mushrooms into quarters and toss with some oil and salt and pepper and either bake or toss in a hot fry pan till cooked. You may need to add a little more oil. Toss the chives & balsamic into the mushrooms and mix. Set aside and keep warm.
- Add 1/2 a cup more stock and check the barley for doneness. If it still has a firm centre add the other 1/2 cup of stock and turn right down and put a lid on the pot. This will encourage the barley to absorb as much stock as possible. Check again and add more stock if necessary.
- Open the pot and add the butter, cream and parmesan and taste for salt and pepper.
- Serve with the field mushrooms and extra parmesan.
- Serve this as it is or with steak or meat dishes. Add basil or other herbs such as thyme or rosemary. You could also make it with porcini mushrooms
Do you have some left over cooked Quinoa?. Why not make some delicious Salmon & Quinoa Cakes…look out for the recipe.
Oh YUM!
The balsamic would lift this risotto to a level beyond belief, I have to try this dish!
I love barley risotto – you get such a lovely chewy texture from the barley that you just cant get with rice. Everything in moderation me thinks… 🙂
thanks for the little lesson on grains–i don’t know nearly as much as i should. 🙂
Oh this looks great Tania! I so wish I could eat spelt but it hates me as much as wheat 🙁 I was very excited to hear from a friend from the CSIRO that they have developed a gluten free barley- Yay! I promise I’ll make your risotto when I can get my hands on some 🙂 x
Wow really Bec, thats incredible
It’s been forever since I’ve made a risotto. This looks delicious.
I love your posts about things like this Tania. Such a wealth of information you are. I forget about barley but it really is tasty and so easy to cook.
Healthy and beautiful…this is right up my alley, Tania. Those mushrooms are so meaty and delicious.
It’s summer here but I could still happily eat a steaming bowl of this!
Hooray for carbs! We love our carnaroli, but I’ll be buggered if I can get my tribe to eat quinoa! They might go for this though – it looks divine, T! xx
This was a great, informative post. I’ve bought and prepared farro but didn’t know it was actually spelt. I never thought to prepare barley like risotto and can’t wait to give it a try. Thanks for the lesson and recipe.
Barley was one of the main grains of my childhood in N Europe and I have found that during the past few years I have very much reverted to it again. This is a lovely risotto tho’ some white wine will go > recipe when I come to cook it. Spelt in all its forms is a wonderful grain: it is nearly 1/3 protein and it was often the main food consumed by Caesar’s armies as they won their way across Europe!! And quinoa is on the menu at least 1-2/week here 🙂 ! All of the above are tasty methinks: they are also quite essential for a healthy lifestyle in every possible way!!!!!!
I didn’t realise farro was spelt – or what ‘pearl’ barley meant either. I always have a bag of barley in the kitchen for salads and risottos too so nice to see I’m in good company.
I’m a big fan of barley and have also used it to make risotto. This is a wonderful looking risotto – mushroom risotto is one of my favourites. I must start cooking with farro – sounds like a great grain xx
It’s summer here and I could go for a bowl of your risotto. I have only used spelt flour but never the grain, need to give it a try. Your recipe is mouthwatering and loved the explanation of the 3 different grains. Thanks for sharing Tania:)
I never knew farro was spelt….guess that means I should avoid as it has gluten. I love the look of this risotto, its been perfect risotto weather.
This is definitely a lovely winter dish – a perfect one in fact! Barley is such a great grain and mushrooms make a great pair 🙂
I can see the headlines already “The backlash against grains”! Forget politics huh? 😛 And this does indeed look wonderful!