I really miss potatoes and rice sometimes. I've got a cauliflower mash that I now prefer to mashed potatoes, but was still looking for a rice substitute.
This recipe doesn't make a creamy risotto, but instead a tasty alternative.
Rice is high GI, but pearl barley isn't. It makes a great substitute, being nutty and great for absorbing the flavours it's cooked in.
To make it, first make a vegetable stock with dried mushrooms, onions, bay leaves, black pepper corns, and maybe some celery. Boil this up with drinking water and keep hot so that it doesn't cool down the risotto during the cooking process.
Melt a spoonful of butter with a drop of oil (the oil stops the butter from burning) and once it is melted, pour in a cupful of pearl barley. Once it is giving off a buttery popcorn smell, add some stock and, optionally, a glass of wine. Keep stirring all the time.Add stock as needed. Meanwhile, in a separate pan cook some onions. Once translucent, put to one side. In this case we made asparagus risotto, but this works well with mushrooms, chicken, prawns, etc.
Once the pearl barley is nearly cooked, add the onions, asparagus, and if you have it, the chopped up rind of some parmesan.
Keep stirring then serve with thin slices of parmesan cheese.
Eat it straight away.
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