tropit

I know...it's still summer, but I got that first hint of fall yesterday and it reminded me of one of my favorite comfort foods, Barley Mushroom Risotto...yummm...so creamy, so good! I don't have an exact recipe here, but if you have a good recipe for Arborio Rice Risotto, you can just substitute ingredients. Here's basically what I do to make this dish.

I sauté some garlic and chopped onions in a big pot, add a lot of sliced mushrooms and cook until tender. Add a couple of cups of pearl barley, s&p and some seasonings of your choice. (I like thyme, parsley and a tiny bit of cumin.) Pour in a couple of cups of water, vegetable, or mushroom broth and cook on low, while stirring frequently, until the barley has absorbed all of the liquids. Add another cup of liquid and repeat. Keep repeating this process and stirring for about an hour. (You can quilt while you cooking it.) The last liquid that you add should be some white wine, instead of the water. Cook down until done. The risotto should be creamy and have tender grains when it's ready. scoop it into a wide soup dish and top with some ground parmesan cheese and a pat of butter, or spread. Other extra goodies I would suggest adding are browned ground sausage, truffle oil, mushroom powder, Shitaki mushrooms, or wild mushrooms, just a little "nooch" (nutritional yeast...adds a cheesy, umami flavor.)

Serve this with a salad and some crusty bread...ahhh...total nirvana.

~ C