Spring Vegetable Green Pearl Barley Risotto with pesto-ish
light and fresh and way less faff than a traditional risotto
Spiffy title don’t you think?? Haha. I actually wanted to add another “ish” after the word risotto as this isn’t really a risotto at all but it’s the closest thing I could think of to describe it. When I think of a risotto I think of something delicious, of course, but I also think of lots of stirring and the fact they are quite needy and attention seeking. This pearl barley risotto is not needy or demanding at all. It doesn’t require stirring, it’s just going to do it’s thing and then at the end you stir in some cream cheese and a little butter and hey presto! It’s the easiest version of a risotto you will make. Undeniably comforting, yet refreshingly simple.
I love pearl barley - it’s a great grain for adding to summer salads and I’m not a nutritionist but I feel like it’s good for me. I know it’s full of fibre which is very good for you and more than that I love the slight chewiness of it. I appreciate that “chewiness” might not be a word used that often as a good thing, but here it is I promise. It has a bite and a texture which makes it interesting to eat.
There are so many delicious flavour combinations you could do with this. Mushroom with a Boursin is a favourite in our house, or butternut squash fried until caramelised with some garlic and fresh sage. But really any flavour you love in a risotto would work well. This combination of lightly sautéed spring green vegetables blitzed together with plenty of parmesan and basil is incredibly good. Not quite a pesto but reminiscent of a pesto with the basil and parmesan… hence the ish. This sauce would be lovely stirred through pasta or served simply with some poached salmon and buttery new potatoes. I like to leave some of the sautéed vegetables in tact because a.) they look pretty scattered on the dish but also b.) I like the contrast of textures it brings.
My favourite way of serving this is with burrata on the top as I just love the contrast of the hot risotto with the cool and creamy burrata - it works so well. But you could also use dollops of ricotta, or the cheat’s burrata of mixing torn mozzarella with creme fraiche.
This also reheats very well, it’s very forgiving, which I appreciate in a dish. So you can enjoy the left overs the next day - just zap it in the microwave, or pop it in a pan, possibly with a little more hot stock - not much, and it will be delicious. It will lose its vibrant green colour but that can’t be helped.