Pearl Barley Carrot and Vegetable Risotto
This Pearl Barley Carrot and Vegetable Risotto is vegan friendly and easy to make. It’s perfect for batch cooking ahead of the week. Using pearl barley instead of risotto rice. Swap arboirio rice for this grain and give it a try.
What’s in the Pearl Barley Risotto?
Pearl barley- It helps if you soak the pearl barley before cooking, this will help cut down on the cooking time. I soak it an hour or two before cooking.
Carrots- Chopped, roasted in smoked paprika and cumin, they add a lovely sweet flavour to the recipe.
White wine- This is such a key ingredient to make a good risotto. Lot’s of wine bottles have the vegan stamp on them nowadays which makes it easier to find.
Courgette, radish and pepper- These are the ingredients I had in my fridge, however this recipe lends itself to almost any vegetable you have kicking about.
Cooking tips:
Soak the pearl barley- This helps cut down the cooking time, but be aware you may need to add more or less vegetable stock depending on how long it’s soaked for.
Add the stock and wine a little at a time- It’s not arborio, but it helps to add the stock at a time, just as you would in a classic Risotto.
Roast the veggies slow and low- To get the sweetest flavour out of the veg, drizzle in a good glug of olive oil and roast at 180ºC for around 45 minutes.
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Pearl Barley Carrot and Vegetable Risotto
Ingredients
- 300 g pearl barley
- 5 large cloves garlic
- 2 shallots
- 300 ml white wine
- 1.4 l veggie stock
- Salt & pepper
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 courgette
- 3-4 carrots
- Handful radishes optional
- 1 red pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- smoked paprika
- Cumin
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Start by soaking the pearl barley and set aside
- Preheat the oven to 200°C
- Chop the carrots, peppers, radishes, carrots and courgettes into bite size dice, drizzle in oil, cumin, smoked paprika and salt and roast for around 25 minutes
- Meanwhile finely chop the shallots and fry in a little olive oil for around 5 minutes before adding in the finely chopped garlic cloves
- Drain off the pearl barley, rinse then add to the pot with the shallots, toast for around 2 minutes before pouring in the white wine
- Once absorbed, start adding the stock, around 400ml at a time until absorbed, add in the roasted veggies, cumin, thyme and smoked paprika
- After around 25-30 minutes the stock should have absorbed, season generously with salt and pepper (this is an important step)
- Taste test, adding a little more seasoning if needed
Notes
If you like this recipe why not try my Mushroom Risotto
