Ingredients
Method
- Soak barley with enough stock to cover, plus about 1 inch more. Let sit, refrigerated in warm weather, for two or three hours. Drain well.
- Melt about three tablespoons oil and butter. Heat at medium low,add onion, and cook till translucent, not browned. Spread in barley and pasta, stirring frequently so as to lightly brown them.
- Meantime, bring remaining stock to boil and reduce heat to low to keep hot. When barley is nicely golden, add the cup of wine and cook, stirring,till the wine has almost evaporated. Then add about one-half cup of hot stock, stirring and cooking until stock is almost completely evaporated.Add another half cup stock, and continue doing this until the barley is just tender--not quite to the al dente state, though if you prefer al dente, that's fine. (You may have stock left over.)
- Add one or two Tbs. of remaining butter (not oil), plus 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese, and chopped basil or parsley. Stir through till butter is melted, dust with a little more basil or parsley, and serve from skillet, offering extra cheese at table.
Notes
If you wish you may add a) vegetables, b) mushrooms, c) minced chicken, d) seafood, chunks or pureed in a little stock, or some combination of these, plus perhaps some good oil-cured pitted black olives or rinsed capers, if you are fond of them. Add them at just about the time that the risotto is in its final state, leaving sufficient time for ingredients to heat through. You may soak the barley the day before, then seal in an air-tight container till cooking. Or you may freeze it in this container,+ defrost and then cook.