ohiofarmgirl
Sipping Bacon Martinis
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i thought i'd share a little bit about barley since a couple of folks asked me about making risotto. so here goes...
first, i've completely eliminated all white rice - its all barley now. for everything - stir fry, fried rice, side dishes, "rice" casseroles, i even found a recipe for barley 'rice' pudding. barley is easy and fun.
next, to use in any recipe i just swap the same amount of barley for rice. i've found, tho, that barley cooks just a bit faster than normal white rice (dont even get me started on those 'minute rice' impostors).
so the risotto. there are endless possibilities and combos but the methodology is about the same. i'm not sure if i saw this somewhere or if i just gave it a whack... but here is what i do:
1. add your fat to a heavy pan over medium heat. you can use butter, olive oil, a combo of the two.. or of course chicken or turkey fat.. and dont forget the lard. many times i'll save whatever broth and fat that came off a roast and use that as a base.
2. add onion or garlic and cook to soften. then add your long cooking veggies - squash, carrots, mushrooms etc. and cook until softened
3. add a cup of uncooked barley - stir to coat with the fat and cook a minute or two
4. gradually start adding broth, wine, or even just water. start with about a cup. i generally add the most flavorful liquid first. for instance if you have a cup of leftover broth from a roast add that first, or a cup of wine (i'm not a big red wine risotto fan but white is perfect). stir and cook until its almost absorbed by the barley
5. add your aromatics - for instance thyme, black pepper, sage, bay leaf at this point.
6. keep adding the broth or water (no more wine! just one cup total of that) about a cup at a time. purists will say you need heat the broth to simmering in another pan. whatever. it works either way. once that cup of liquid as been absorbed, add the next. continue in this method until the barley is 'al dente' - or just about done. i use up to a quart of broth. you'll be surprised at how much gets absorbed.
7. at this point you can add cooked meat and/or fast cooking veggies such as fresh peas, greens, parsley etc.
8. then bring on the cream.. just a touch. Rachael Ray would say once or twice around the pan. see the creamy goodness?? oh yumm....
9. then add the cheese - grated parm yields the best results.
you want it to be a bit soupy when you serve.
here are some combo's that i love:
1. butternut squash, bacon, sage
2. roasted chicken, thyme, and white wine & chicken broth
3. turkey broth, sage, carrots, and turkey meat
4. mushrooms, onions, chicken broth
5. in the spring - onion, peas, chicken broth
i just polished off the leftovers last nite - with eggs on top. i used turkey broth, leftover broth and fat from roasted turkey and butternut squash, and a bag of frozen mixed veggies... tons of black pepper. delish!
anybody else have a risotto recipe that we can adapt to barley???
first, i've completely eliminated all white rice - its all barley now. for everything - stir fry, fried rice, side dishes, "rice" casseroles, i even found a recipe for barley 'rice' pudding. barley is easy and fun.
next, to use in any recipe i just swap the same amount of barley for rice. i've found, tho, that barley cooks just a bit faster than normal white rice (dont even get me started on those 'minute rice' impostors).
so the risotto. there are endless possibilities and combos but the methodology is about the same. i'm not sure if i saw this somewhere or if i just gave it a whack... but here is what i do:
1. add your fat to a heavy pan over medium heat. you can use butter, olive oil, a combo of the two.. or of course chicken or turkey fat.. and dont forget the lard. many times i'll save whatever broth and fat that came off a roast and use that as a base.
2. add onion or garlic and cook to soften. then add your long cooking veggies - squash, carrots, mushrooms etc. and cook until softened
3. add a cup of uncooked barley - stir to coat with the fat and cook a minute or two
4. gradually start adding broth, wine, or even just water. start with about a cup. i generally add the most flavorful liquid first. for instance if you have a cup of leftover broth from a roast add that first, or a cup of wine (i'm not a big red wine risotto fan but white is perfect). stir and cook until its almost absorbed by the barley
5. add your aromatics - for instance thyme, black pepper, sage, bay leaf at this point.
6. keep adding the broth or water (no more wine! just one cup total of that) about a cup at a time. purists will say you need heat the broth to simmering in another pan. whatever. it works either way. once that cup of liquid as been absorbed, add the next. continue in this method until the barley is 'al dente' - or just about done. i use up to a quart of broth. you'll be surprised at how much gets absorbed.
7. at this point you can add cooked meat and/or fast cooking veggies such as fresh peas, greens, parsley etc.
8. then bring on the cream.. just a touch. Rachael Ray would say once or twice around the pan. see the creamy goodness?? oh yumm....
9. then add the cheese - grated parm yields the best results.
you want it to be a bit soupy when you serve.
here are some combo's that i love:
1. butternut squash, bacon, sage
2. roasted chicken, thyme, and white wine & chicken broth
3. turkey broth, sage, carrots, and turkey meat
4. mushrooms, onions, chicken broth
5. in the spring - onion, peas, chicken broth
i just polished off the leftovers last nite - with eggs on top. i used turkey broth, leftover broth and fat from roasted turkey and butternut squash, and a bag of frozen mixed veggies... tons of black pepper. delish!
anybody else have a risotto recipe that we can adapt to barley???
but I often make beef and barley soup. My mom used to make a cold fruit soup with barley--it was delicious!! I haven't had it in years though.
