When I drove cross country, my dear friend Julia made this for dinner when I was in Cleveland. Julia taught me that risotto IS a weeknight food, and mere mortals like me can make it, with a bit of patience and some bouillon cubes. Here is a slight variation, because we didn't have any Parmesan cheese in the house. My husband secretly thinks I'm trying to push a vegan agenda here, but when he tasted it, all suspicions stopped.
Barley is way healthier than risotto, and its earthy taste is actually better with the pumpkin. Apparently, according to my Ayurvedic constitution, I should eat more barley. Who knew? Making this dish also counts as exercise because it requires standing and stirring for at least a half hour.
Pumpkin Barley "Risotto"
(song for barley risotto: Bebel Gilberto's "So Nice")
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 good sized yellow onion, chopped finely
1 1/2 cups barley (I don't use the pearled, I use the super nutritious fibrous one at the natural food store in the bulk aisle, but if you want more refinement, and less chewing, you can use pearled barley)
3/4 cup white wine (2 buck chuck sauvignon blanc from Trader Joe's is great for this)
about 6 cups of boiling water with 2 veggie bouillon cubes (I used unsalted)- keep this simmering on the stove
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/8 tsp. of cayenne, plus a little more for garnish
1 tsp kosher salt (more to taste, if you are a salty dog)
fresh juice of 1/2 lemon
In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, cook until translucent (maybe 5 minutes). Add the barley, saute for 2-3 minutes. Turn heat up slightly (medium high) and add the wine, stirring until all the wine is absorbed.
Warning: the next step is slightly tedious. I recommend having NPR in the kitchen. Or happy music.
Pour 1/2 cup of hot broth into the barley, stir until absorbed. Repeat until you've used all your broth or until the barley is toothsome but tender (about 30 minutes, less time if you used pearled barley). If you run out of broth, use hot water.
Add the pumpkin and ginger with your last ladle of broth, stir well. Turn off the heat. Add cayenne pepper. Stir again.
Ladle into bowls and sprinkle very lightly cayenne pepper and a good squirt of lemon juice.
Serves 2 hungry people with enough leftovers for 1 lunch. This would probably serve 4 people who eat more bird-like than we do.
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Well, now I'll have to try the vegan variation -- healthier, certainly. (My typical version, for the uninformed, involves a couple tbsp butter and something like 1/4 cup parmesan.)
ReplyDeleteIt's freezing in Cleveland, so frankly, a hearty risotto sounds like a good idea!