Winter warm barely, mushroom and asparagus risotto

I love, love, love Barley. For its soft, squishy, and somehow really comforting feeling it gives. Perhaps because it reminds of the consistency of pasta. Like a big hug in your mouth. If that makes any sense at all...

I am also a huge risotto lover. So for me this is just a perfect combination, barley as risotto!

Basically you cook the barley the same way you would a risotto. Constantly adding liquid stock so that you slowly cook and fatten up the barley with the stock flavour.

If you want to go vegan you can omit the parmesan, this will only make the dish slightly less creamy and salty.

Barley is a great grain. It is high in fiber, which we all know is good for our digestive system. It is also a good source of a certain type of vitamin B, niacin. This B vitamin is specifically good at protecting again cardiovascular disease via its ability to lower cholesterol and lipoprotein levels, both of which can clog up arteries, increase blood pressure. Barley also contains significant levels of selenium which is a mineral we often lack. Selenium is essential for may enzyme functions, as well as being an antioxidant preventing oxidative stress from free radicals.

Ingredients needed for two are:

2,5 dl pearled barley
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 mushroom stock cube
4-5 slices of dried porcini mushroom (you could also use chanterelle but it will not give as much flavour so you need to up the amount, perhaps double even triple)
2 portabello mushrooms or 100-150 grams of your preferred mushroom
2 stalks of kale ( I used cavalero nero)
1/3 chilli, chopped & deseeded if you don't like too much heat
6-8 green asparagus
50-70 grams fresh parmesan, grated
drizzle of cooking friendly oil such as rice oil
4-5 dl boiling water
salt and pepper to taste
1-1,5 dl white wine or dry white vermouth
a knob of butter

1.  Boil the water and add 3,5 dl to a pitcher or bowl, crumble the stock cube into it. 
2. Use the rest of the boiled water to soften up the porcini. Make sure to keep the water they soak in as this will contain a lot of flavour. 
3. Fry the onion and chilli in a bit of oil till the onion has gone soft and a bit translucent. 
4. Add the barley, stir so it gets a bit of the oil coating it then add the wine. Allow the wine to evaporate by cooking it off slowly on a low heat. Keep stirring so that nothing sticks or burns to the bottom. 
5. Once the wine has disappeared, slowly add a little stock. You will keep repeating this each time you see that the barley is getting 'dry'. Basically once the moisture has been soaked up and the barley is about to stick to the pan. 
6. The barley needs to cook for approximately 20-30 minutes. Halfway through you want to take out the portion mushrooms, slice them and add them to the barley. Also add the soaking water, saving the last bit as this will contain a bit of git and sand. 
7. Once the porchini have gone into the barley, while keeping your eye on the barley chop the portable into cubes, heat some butter in a frying pan and add the mushroom. Fry on a low heat, you want to get them soft and sweaty. Season with salt and pepper. Place them on a plate while you now add the kale to fry in the same pan, adding a little butter of the pan seems dry. You want to fry them for about 6-10minutes, this will retain some of their bite. Add the asparagus to the plate of portable mushrooms.
8. Lastly add the chopped kale to the frying pan, again adding a little butter of the pan seems dry. Fry for approx. 2-4 min, you want to retain some of their bite. 
9. Now put back the portabello and asparagus and set aside, off the heat. 
10. All the while you have been adding stock to the barley. You should be about done, so taste. You want the barley to be bouncy in consistency, not hard and not mushy. 
11. If your barley is cooked add the parmesan, perhaps also a splash more of the stock to loosen it all up a bit. Stir so that the residue heat melts the parmesan. Taste, perhaps some fresh pepper or a pinch of salt?
12. If your happy with the barley risotto, plate and then top with the portable, asparagus and kale.

You could add a drizzle of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.

Mushroom risotto

Risotto has always been a favourite of mine. This is a winning dish every time. Wild mushrooms are in season now, making them extra flavourful. I love to add wild rice to give an added layer of texture and crunch. I also happen to know that this rice is also full of antioxidants and other healthy stuff.

I recently learned that mushrooms are the only vegetable/fungus that contains vitamin D and calcium!

Ingredients needed to serve 4
- 400 grams of mixed mushrooms (preferably wild mushrooms)
- 3 dl aborrio rice
- 1 dl wild rice or black rice (yes there is a difference between the two)
- 1 medium onion
- Salt and pepper
- 1 mushroom or chicken stock cube
- pinch of dried oregano
- knob of butter
- knob of coconut oil (make sure it's a flavourless version) or any other cooking oil
- 300 grams parmesan (you could also do half parmesan and the other half pecorino)
- 1 dl dry white wine
- 2 dl water to cook the black or wild rice
- 4-5 dl water for the aborrio rice

* Optional; fresh chopped parsely, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, tiny squeeze of lemon juice.

1. Cook the black or wild rice according to it's package instructions. Once cooked, drain and set aside. 
2. Boil the aborrio rice water and add the stock cube to it, stir to dissolve the cube. 
3. Grate the cheese. 
4. In a frying pan on a low heat allow the mushrooms to sweat out their water content. This is done in a dry pan with no fat or oil. The trick is to keep the heat on low. Once all the moisture has come out and partially evaporated add the butter and 'fry'. Add salt & pepper and finally the dried oregano. Set aside. 
5. Dice the onion and fry in the coconut oil till soft and glazed, 3-4min. Add the rice and fry for half a minute. Then add the wine and allow to evaporate. Stir continusly to avoid sticking to bottom of the pan. 
6. Once the wine has evaporated to 1/3 of it's original quantity add the stock water, slowly, 1/2 dl to start with. Stir. 
7. Add more stock water once the rice has started to soak up the initial stock water. Continue this process, adding the stock once the rice looks 'dry' while stirring. 
8. Towards the 15minute mark taste the rice; if it's still got a hard middle then keep adding stock and stirring for another 3 minute, taste again. The aim is to have a slight 'al dente' bite without it being under cooked. 
9. Once the rice is done add the parmesan and stir, allowing the cheese to melt into the rice. Then add the black or wild rice. 
10. Finally plate the risotto and add the mushrooms. 
11. I like to finish off with some chopped parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and even a tiny squeeze of lemon juice. 

Brown rice mushroom risotto

My husband refers to this type of food as rabbit food. Apparently it lacks in 'substance'. Well,  I like rabbit food. Actually I love rabbit food, i would eat more rabbit food if I could get away with making it more often. It makes me feel good, healthy and ultimately happier.

I made this using what was on hand. You could replace the brown rice for quinoa,  wheat berries, farro (spelt). You could add sprouts, roasted pumkin seeds. You could skip the parmesan, instead add feta or no cheese at all. Basically it is about using what you have in the fridge and basing it around a whole grain carbohydrate.

I have never used kale before, but I keep seeing it in lots of food blogs recipes. Its in season now, and cheap,  so I figured I would incorporate it.

for 2
2dl brown rice
10 brown champignons
1 or 0,5 cube mushroom stock (veggie or chicken will also do)
1 dl peas
1 garlic clove
squeeze of lemon
grind of dry flaked chili
parmesan (amount chosen by yourself)
3 large leaves Kale (bio, its in season now and very cheap at least here in The Netherlands)
optional - a sprinkle of roasted sesame seeds (sesame seeds fried in a pan with no oil or butter, till they begin to pop, the heat must be low while roasting)

Mushroom Risotto - one of my favs

Many people think risotto is really complicated, actually it really isn't, it just needs attention and love. Don't we all...For me risotto is the ultimate comfort food, oozy, creamy, and slightly chewy, never stodgy. You can skip the mushrooms in this recipe and instead just add peas, lemon zest, and shrimps or a salmon file, or go all veggie and use asparagus and lightly sautéed sugar snaps. Another option could be adding chevre (soft goats cheese) or pecorino instead of parmesan, the goats cheese paired with rosemary and lamb is sooo good, while pecorino would do best with smoked salmon or smoked chicken.