SERVES:
4 - 6
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 cup pearl barley
1 tsp dried dill (optional)
1 cup peeled, finely diced carrot
2 cups thinly sliced brussel sprouts
2 large, or 3 - 4 small, Portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 Tbs vegetable oil for sauteing veggies
grated cheddar cheese for garnish (optional)
PROCEDURE:
Get started by heating 4 cups of low sodium vegetable broth with 2 cups of water in a deep stainless steel pot.
And when that's close to being hot, add a splash of vegetable oil to another large, wide, deep heavy bottomed pot and saute 1 medium large diced onion.
Once the onion is translucent, add 1 cup of pearl barley and add 1 tsp of dried dill, if you're using it, stir that around and let it toast for a minute and then add a couple of big ladles of warm broth.
Just like regular rice risotto, keep ladling a little bit of the broth into it as the barley absorbs it -- it's going to take around 30 - 40 minutes to cook.
Stir the barley regularly and, while you're keeping your eye on that, peel and finely dice about 1 cup of carrot, thinly slice 2 cups of brussel sprouts and cut 2 large, or 3 - 4 small, Portobello mushrooms into 1/2-inch cubes.
When the barley is close to being soft to the tooth, add a good splash of vegetable oil to another large saute pan and cook the chopped vegetables to soften.
Add a little more oil if you need to, but the mushrooms will give off a little bit of water as they're cooking down and then, once the barley is soft, turn the heat off on that and, once the vegetables are a soft tender crisp, fold the vegetables into the barley and season it to taste.
Serve it up in individual bowls with some optional grated cheddar cheese!
HINTS:
Use unsalted chicken broth instead of vegetable broth if you're not worried about this recipe being vegetarian.