Barley Risotto with Beans and Greens

Last Thursday when I made smittenkitchen's barley risotto, I had already attempted a Lydia Bastianich arborio risotto earlier that same week, and hadn't gotten it quite right. I had been assisted in the kitchen by a toddler and my husband had been happily discussing his new position at work. Distractions, folks? Not so good for rice risotto.

The barley risotto recipe was a different story. While I cooked, I played a game on the floor with my daughter, standing up occasionally to stir. Nothing bad happened. In fact, it was a really lovely dinner. I loved the texture of the barley - the barley remained individual, chewy grains instead of blowing up and getting fluffy on the outside like they do in soup sometimes. Even though I was skeptical, the barley indeed cooked beautifully in the 35 min smitten predicted. This is a fantastic recipe. Kev also liked that I made him two sausages on the side to put on top of his dish. I liked it as is and will make it many times in the future.



Adapted generously from Food and Wine

Be sure to use a low or no sodium broth; as the broth reduces and concentrates in flavor, a regular broth will yield a too-salty dish. I’ve learned the hard way many times! Only have a full salt broth or bouillon around? Swap some of the volume with water.

And do play around with this dish — try different broths, such as beef or mushroom. Skip the beans, swap a cooked vegetable. Use your favorite greens and adjust the cooking time accordingly. Add a clove of garlic, use shallots or leeks instead of onion. Use romano instead of parmesan, dollop in some crème fraîche at the end; use red wine or skip the wine. I know it can sometimes be overwhelming to have too many options but the possibilities here are really endless, and a little extra tinkering could make a staple out of this dish for you.

Serves 3 to 4 (most recipes would say 4; maybe we were just really hungry?) [we also ate it ALL]

5 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
1 cup pearled barley (7 ounces)
1 cup beans, canned or precooked (white would be great; I used some Red Nightfall Beans mostly because they were languishing in my cabinet)
3 cups chopped escarole
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a simmer over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and thyme and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 6 minutes. Add the barley and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine if using and cook, stirring until absorbed, about one minute. Add 1 cup of the warm stock and cook, stirring, until nearly absorbed. Continue adding the stock 1/2 cup at a time in six additions — you’ll have a cup of stock left in the pot — stirring until it is nearly absorbed between additions. Most barley risottos are done when the barley is al dente and suspended in a thick, creamy sauce, about 35 minutes, however, I like to take this one a little “soupier” adding another half to one cup of stock. (This gives the beans something to drink up, and you a margin of error if you grains continue to absorb the stock once you think they are done.) Stir it in until the risotto is on the loose side, then add the beans and let them cook for a minute. Add the escarole and let it wilt and then cook for an additional minute. Stir in the 1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano and the butter and season with salt and pepper. Serve at once, passing more cheese at the table.

Do ahead: Although it’s not generally ideal to reheat rice risottos, I actually enjoyed this barley one reheated. Keep the flame low, splash in some more broth if it seems thick and slowly warm the dish, stirring. Top with extra cheese.

Bean cooking wonder! Cooked my beans in the slow-cooker — they were perfect. No presoaking, just put them in covered with 2 to 3 inches of water for 3 hours on high. (You may need up to 4 hours with larger beans.) I let them cool in their cooking water, which was by then quite flavorful. They were dreamy. [guess what. hefk opened a can of kidneys.]

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