Guest Blogging- The Urbanite, Part II

There are a few reasons why I don’t have a file of comfort food recipes. One is that they usually take a lot of time, gadgets, or manual labor, which are in short supply for “the urbanite.” Another is that I don’t eat meat, which eliminates just about everything my southern grandma ever made. So I came up with this recipe as an amazing, stick-to-your-ribs, cold weather meal (or side dish, if you’re June Cleaver). It is not, however, a quick recipe, so plan accordingly.

There are a few appealing things about using barley instead of rice to make risotto. For one, it’s a whole grain, unlike white rice (brown rice risotto is a pipe dream—the outer grain of the rice will never break down). For another, it behaves itself better than rice, meaning you don’t have to stir it obsessively like normal risotto, which is how it got its name. If you are too lazy to make risotto, or just too busy to stand over the pan, this is a perfect risotto for you. This recipe will make 2-3 servings, more if it’s a side. One tip: Say no to nonstick! For this recipe, you want a little sticking, so you can get those delicious brown bits from the onion and the mushrooms. I use a ceramic pan but I think stainless or cast iron would work beautifully.

Multi-tasking Risotto

2 tbsp. butter or margarine
½ of a white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed (allows the garlic to spread through the dish better)
¾ c. barley (not the “quick cooking” kind)
4-5 c. vegetable stock
1 tbsp. dried herbs (thyme, sage, herbs de Provence or a bay leaf would be terrific)
1 c. cremini and shitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese and/or pine nuts to garnish

Heat the stock until boiling, then turn off the heat and cover. Meanwhile, melt the margarine in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and herbs and sauté until soft. Then add the mushrooms and garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Add the barley and stir to coat. Toast the barley for one minute, stirring constantly.

Risotto is all in the method: transfer one ladle of stock into the pan and stir until its completely absorbed. Keep going like that until you get a good amount of mushroom gravy in the pan, about 10 minutes. This will keep your barley from drying out when you take a break, which I promised you could do. From that point, you can just add a ladle of stock, stir, and leave it to cook for about five minutes at a time. When you come back, give it a stir and scrape up the good stuff on the bottom of the pan. As for the heat, its pretty important to get it right if you want those breaks. You don’t want a big sizzle when you add the stock, just a simmer. After 40 minutes the barley should be al dente. If its still crunchy and you’re out of stock, don’t panic. Just add ½ to 1 cup of water, stir, and let cook. You can keep doing this as long as it takes--but it shouldn’t be more than 55 minutes or 5 cups of liquid. The end result should be rich and creamy.

Add salt (taste it first because the stock can be very salty) and pepper and garnish with parmesan cheese and/or pine nuts. If you use margarine (I like Earth Balance) and soy parmesan, you’ve got yourself a Vegan-friendly meal.