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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Pea Barley Risotto

[heart_this] · Jun 21, 2008 · 31 Comments

Pea Barley Risotto

It had been a while since I last made risotto and I had been wanting to try making one of the classic risottos, a simple pea risotto. Now that the fresh peas are out it was the perfect time. I could not resist playing with the risotto a bit and I decided to try making it with barley. Normally risotto is made with a medium grain rice like arborio rice but it also works with barley. Risotto takes a bit of time and effort but it is well worth it. A lot of creaminess of the risotto come from constant stirring over a period of time. Given that most risotto recipes call for some wine you can at least enjoy a glass while doing all of that stirring. The barley risotto turned out pretty good. It was nice and creamy and the barley was al dente and had a nice chewiness to it. The sweet fresh peas went really well in the cheesy risotto.

Pea Barley Risotto

Pea Barley Risotto

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Servings: 4
ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 1 clove garlic (chopped)
  • 1 cup pearled barley
  • 1/2 cup wine
  • 2 cups stock (vegetable or chicken or…)
  • 1/2 cup peas
  • 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • salt and pepper to taste
directions
  1. Melt the butter in large sauce pan.
  2. Add onions and saute until softened, about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  4. Add barley toss to coat with the butter.
  5. Add wine and stir until evaporated.
  6. Add 1/2 cup of stock at a time and stir until evaporated, adding the peas with the last 1/2 cup of stock.
  7. Add parmigiano reggiano, butter salt and pepper and stir.
Use in:
Arancini di Riso (Rice Balls)

Similar Recipes:
Risotto
Baby Artichoke Heart Quinoa Risotto with Shrimp and Meyer Lemon Pesto
Lamb and Mint Meatballs with Farro Risotto and Cilantro Pesto

Food, Italian, Main Course, One-Pan, One-Pot, Recipe, Risotto, Side Dish, Vegetarian, Whole Grains

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lina says

    June 21, 2008 at 6:50 pm

    your risotto looks so summery and yummy!

    Reply
  2. Jan says

    June 21, 2008 at 9:03 pm

    Lovely looking risotto!
    Kevin – take a look at my blog coz you’ve been TAGGED!!!

    Reply
  3. Lori says

    June 21, 2008 at 9:53 pm

    That looks so good, and great idea to use the barley!

    Reply
  4. _ts says

    June 21, 2008 at 9:58 pm

    Oooooooh. Looks so good. We haven’t made risotto in a looong time. Hmmmm….

    😉

    _ts

    Reply
  5. Katerina says

    June 21, 2008 at 11:09 pm

    I swear one of the reasons I like making risotto so much is that glass of wine you get to make while you eat it! I still have never tried barley though.

    Reply
  6. Nora B. says

    June 21, 2008 at 11:15 pm

    Hi Kevin,
    This dish is just perfect – I am especially drawn to the fresh peas, which I don’t get to use very often in my kitchen.

    Nora

    Reply
  7. Toni says

    June 21, 2008 at 11:36 pm

    Wow! Barley? Who wudda thunk? 😉 Sounds terrific!

    Reply
  8. VeggieGirl says

    June 22, 2008 at 1:41 am

    nice job on the risotto! I’m too intimidated to make it, so I commend you :0)

    Reply
  9. Pam says

    June 22, 2008 at 2:02 am

    I love the earthiness of barley. I have to try this!

    Reply
  10. Ferdzy says

    June 22, 2008 at 2:09 am

    Lovely! Very local and seasonal! Love those peas; bought my first of the season today. May do something somewhat similar.

    Reply
  11. Laura @ Hungry and Frozen says

    June 22, 2008 at 2:41 am

    Ooh nice one. I’m quite the fan of barley risottos. Nigella says “orzotto” if it’s made out of barley, sounds more appealing, huh? Looks gorgeous 🙂

    Reply
  12. Manggy says

    June 22, 2008 at 4:03 am

    That’s quite unique! If you had presented me the idea, I would’ve said, “Wouldn’t it taste like beer?” Ha ha ha! Shows how much I know.

    Reply
  13. abby says

    June 22, 2008 at 4:22 am

    i tried barley risotto having tried it in pisa (it was called farro rather than barley) and agree it’s worth adding to the repetoire!

    Reply
  14. Marc @ NoRecipes says

    June 22, 2008 at 4:51 am

    Looks great Kevin! Barley is one grain I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with. I love roasted barley tea though, so I might have to give this a go.

    Reply
  15. Anonymous says

    June 22, 2008 at 6:18 am

    That look sooo good!!

    Reply
  16. jasmine.celion says

    June 22, 2008 at 7:16 am

    wooo…so delicious i wish i could have it now

    jasmine celion
    cool-hotstuff.blogspot.com

    Reply
  17. HoneyB says

    June 22, 2008 at 11:16 am

    oops, deleted my post by accident! Here we go again!

    This looks so delicious! I have never made risotto before and I must admit that I worry I would not cook it right – especially after hearing Chef Ramsey in Hell’s Kitchen screaming about how under/over cooked the chefs on the show cook it so often! I may have to try it – you make it look and sound so easy using barley!

    Reply
  18. Greg says

    June 22, 2008 at 11:54 am

    I really love barley risotto. Yours has my mouth watering. And your peas look so fresh!

    Reply
  19. giz says

    June 22, 2008 at 12:53 pm

    There’s something I’ve never tried – barley risotto. Hmmm…very interesting. Looks really easy to eat.

    Reply
  20. noble pig says

    June 22, 2008 at 2:27 pm

    What a great idea, barley risotto. Gorgeous!

    Reply
  21. Indigo says

    June 22, 2008 at 3:34 pm

    Oooh I love risotto (actually, coincidentally, I had a ristto for tea last night. Barely tasted it because Doctor Who was on and I’m a nerd, but it needed to be said). I’d love to try it using barley; I’ve been meaning to do that for ages!

    Reply
  22. Lisa says

    June 22, 2008 at 5:16 pm

    Great idea Kevin. I’ve never thought to make risotto with barley. I will keep this in mind. As for the peas and the wine, yes please.

    Reply
  23. Lore says

    June 22, 2008 at 6:04 pm

    Yum! Never had a pea risotto. I was wondering on how much pea should I use in this dish?

    Reply
  24. Jeena says

    June 22, 2008 at 8:09 pm

    Those peas look so big and juicy. Barley risotto sounds so delicious, it looks so thick and creamy too. 🙂

    Reply
  25. Peter M says

    June 22, 2008 at 9:27 pm

    This is both healthy and delicious…yay, Ontario fresh peas are here!

    Reply
  26. Elle says

    June 23, 2008 at 12:09 am

    I’d love to try this, Kevin!

    Reply
  27. Elly says

    June 23, 2008 at 12:32 am

    Looks fantastic, Kevin. I am a HUGE barley fan and have been meaning to make barley risotto for a long time. It keeps getting pushed back but after seeing this I am inspired again.

    Reply
  28. Mrs Ergül says

    June 23, 2008 at 12:51 am

    I would never have thought of substituting risotto rice grains with barley! over here, we boil barley with water and it is meant to be very nutritional to the body! I think this risotto is too!

    Reply
  29. Deborah says

    June 23, 2008 at 4:58 pm

    I’ve never had barley in a risotto, but I bet it makes for a nice change. And those peas look so delicious and fresh!

    Reply
  30. katiez says

    June 23, 2008 at 7:18 pm

    I’m so glad barley is not just for vegetable soup!
    I’ve made it as a side dish… Next will be as a risotto. I do rather love those little grains!

    Reply
  31. Lida says

    August 6, 2008 at 1:11 am

    once made a delicious barley risotto with hazelnuts and asparagus– you should give it a try!

    Reply

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Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
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