emilycat and others: using barley for rice/risotto?

[makedah]

I don't like rice (very odd, since I grew up in South Carolina). I saw on the beets thread that emilycat used barley instead of rice for the beet risotto. I adore barley (although I've only had it in soups!) and want to know if others have (regularly or not) subbed it for rice in risotto and in other dishes as well.

[Gail]

Have I subbed it? No. But I do make barley dishes and certainly enjoy them.

Here's one from Epicurious I've enjoyed. If you visit their website you'll find several.

MUSHROOM BARLEY RISOTTO


Barley replaces rice in this twist on the classic Italian risotto.
4 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

2 teaspoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup pearl barley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms (such as oyster, stemmed portobello and stemmed shiitake), sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Bring chicken stock to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.

Melt 2 teaspoons butter in large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add barley, thyme, bay leaf and 2 cups warm chicken stock; bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until most of stock is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add remaining stock 1/2 cup at a time, allowing stock to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until barley is tender, about 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in another large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Mix in parsley and barley mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon risotto into bowls and serve immediately.

Serves 6.


Bon Appétit
November 1997

R.S.V.P.; Bizou, San Francisco CA

Here's the thread if you want to read reviews:
http://www.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=4401

My aunt makes this occasionally and I've always enjoyed it.

BARLEY PILAF

2 medium onions
1/4 pound margarine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or boullion
1/2 pound mushrooms
1 3/4 cup pearl barley
Soy sauce

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Chop onions coarsely. Slice mushrooms thin, stems and all. Heat 2 tablespoons margarine in heavy skillet. Cook mushrooms 4 or 5 minutes. Lift out of skillet; heat rest of margarine. Cook onions until transparent. Pour in barley. Cook very slowly, turning often until golden brown. Add mushrooms, pour in half of liquid. Cover tightly. Bake 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Add rest of liquid. Bake 1 more hour but don't let it become mushy. Add soy sauce to taste before serving.


As I recall, both these recipes make huge quantities. In the case of my aunt's recipe, since it's at least 25 years old, I'm sure you can cut way back on quantities of fat and use low-fat chicken broth as well.

[Jewel]

I totally agree with Gail! I love Barley Pilaf, and we make it quite often. To increase the fiber I've used whole barley instead of the pearl, which has most of the outer husk (fiber) removed, but both are wonderful! Adds a really distinct nutty flavor to a pilaf. In fact, I've added a few tablespoons of toasted almonds to my barley pilaf with wonderful results.

[Ohioan]

Barley, even cooked plain, also makes a great sopper-upper for dishes with lots of gravy, e.g., stews and juicy roasts.

Cheers,
Phoebe

[Leonard]

I just made a Barley "Risotto" last night.It was easy to prepare and got rave reviews. The recipe is in the March issue of Bon Apetit. It's Toasted Barley and Asparagus "Risotto". Serves 4:

12 oz. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch pieces.
2 cups pearl barley
3 Tb. butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
81/2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups drained cannned diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped arugula
2 tsp. grated lemon peel

Cook asparagus in boiling salted water till crisp-tender, 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl of ice water and cool. Drain Stir barley in heavy large saucepan over medium heat till lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Transfer barley to bowl. Melt butter in same pan. Add onion and garlic, saute till tender, about 5 minutes. Add barley and stir to coat. Add 2 cups broth, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer till liquid is absorbed, about 7 minutes. Mix in 2 1/2 cups broth and simmer till absorbed, stirring frequently. Add 3 cups broth and simmer till barley is tender and creamy but still slightly firm to bite, stirring often and adding more broth if mixture is dry, about 45 minutes. Add tomatoes, asparagus. Stir till heat through, about 3 minutes. Mix in cheese, arugula and lemon peel. Season with salt and pepper.

[emilycat]

Leonard,

The recipe you posted looks wonderful! I am printing it out as I type http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif


Makedah,

I routinely substitute barley or short-grained brown rice for Arborio in risotto dishes, as I don't like to eat non-whole grains very often, and I love, love, love risotto and make it frequently. I think it works wonderfully, although I think the barley tends to release more starches and yields a creamier dish. It's really delicious, and I just make it the same way, although sometimes it takes a bit longer to soften than the Arborio does. If you do give it a try, I'd suggest, as Jewel did, that you try to find the non-hulled barley. I use Arrowhead Mills Organic pearled barley, which is curious to me because it contains 6 grams of fiber per 1/4 cup, unlike most pearl barleys, which have only a gram or so. It must be processed differently -- anyway, it works really well http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Emily

[Terrytx]

This is also a very good dish using barley. The barley container had a little blurb that said to substitute it for rice.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Barley, Corn and Provolone Bake

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Casserole Low Fat
Side Dish Vegetables


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 1/2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped sweet onion
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
1 cup diced red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons minced fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone,
fontina or part-skim mozzarella

Combine water and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Add barley. Return to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and corn; saute 6 minutes. Add bell pepper; saute 3 minutes. Stir in cooked barley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, parsley, thyme, and black pepper. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Spoon into a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray; cover with lid. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover, bake an additional 5 minutes.

serving size: 3/4 cup 166 cal, 4.1 g fat, 6.4 g pro, 27.3 g carb, 5.6 g fiber, 7 mg chol, 321 mg sod.

Source:
"Cooking Light-11/00"

[emilycat]

Leonard,

I finally got around to making the Toasted Barley and Asparagus Risotto last week -- it was amazing -- I definitely think I'll make it again; the tomatoes, asparagus and arugula complemented each other wonderfully, and since I used so many vegetables in mine, it was extremely filling and satisfying. Delicious http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Thanks again!

Emily