Barley and wild mushroom risotto

A creamy risotto - made with barley rather than rice and topped with a variety of mushrooms.

Serves

Prep

15 minutes

Cook

40 minutes

Each 248g serving contains (excludes serving suggestion)

KCal

305

Carbs

56.0g

Fibre

3.7g

Protein

8.5g

Fat

4.4g

Saturates

1.20g

Sugars

4.4g

Salt

0.36g

Portion Fruit & Veg

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil

400g mixed mushrooms, sliced

1 onion (140g), chopped

1 red pepper (160g), chopped

250g pearl barley

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 heaped tsp dried oregano

2 good pinches white pepper

1 low-salt vegetable stock cube in 700ml boiling water

I heaped tbsp chopped fresh basil and more to serve

4 tbsp oat/soya-based cream alternative

good grind black pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan, add the onion and cook for 1 minute.
Add the red pepper and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Reserve a few mushrooms and set aside to garnish the dish.
Stir in the barley, add the stock, oregano and pepper, then mix well. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, add a lid and simmer, stirring regularly.
After about 25 minutes, remove the lid and continue simmering for around 10 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and any excess is boiled off.
The barley should be cooked but still firm ('al dente').
Stir through the cream alternative and the fresh basil, then serve with freshly ground black pepper, sprinkled with the reserved basil and mushrooms.

Chefs tips

Any mushrooms work for this dish but a combination of different types is ideal. You can buy mixed packs of wild mushrooms at most supermarkets, then bulk them up with a pack of basic mushrooms.
Freezability: Suitable for freezing once cooked. Chill quickly. Defrost in the fridge and reheat thoroughly until piping-hot throughout.

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