Pearl Barley Risotto Is Perfect For Any Season

Your guests don’t need to know it only cost you pennies to make.

My father-in-law smiled at me across the dinner table and said,

“Kim, I need more of that barley dish. I think it is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I never thought barley could taste so good.”

He dug right in for a second helping and then I sent some home with him too. And we still had some for lunch the next day. Yes — pearl barley risotto knows how to stretch itself.

The delicious barley dish my father-in-law loved so much? It cost less than $5.00 to make and it made a huge batch.

My inner farm girl was secretly thrilled.

So what is pearl barley? Pearl barley is the most common form of barley grain — it has both the outer husk and bran layers removed. Once it is cooked — it has a combination of creaminess, nuttiness, and chewiness that is delicious and satisfying. And it costs pennies per serving.

Pearl barley risotto can be a vegetarian main event served with a salad or it is perfect as a side dish with any kind of meat or fish. Either way, trust me — your family and guests will rave about it.

And it requires less stirring than rice risotto so it leaves me time to sip wine too.

Pearl Barley Mushroom Risotto

1 pkg (14 g) mixed dried mushrooms

I cup boiling water (to soak mushrooms)

1 1/4 cup pearl barley

2 cups beef broth (or chicken broth)

1 can beef consume* (if you use chicken broth — use 3 cups broth and not beef consume)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion diced

1 clove garlic minced

Pinch salt

1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese (use a vegetable peeler)

Chopped fresh parsley

In a heatproof bowl, pour 1 cup boiling water over dried mushrooms; let stand for 30 minutes.

Drain, reserving mushroom liquid; coarsely chop mushrooms and set aside.

In a saucepan, bring mushroom liquid, beef broth & consume to simmer; reduce heat and keep warm.

In a separate saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat; cook onion, and garlic until fragrant and softened about 3 minutes.

Add drained mushrooms; sautee until almost no liquid remains, about 5 minutes.

Put dry barley into a small frying pan with butter on medium heat until it is slightly brown and toasted. Remove from heat. Now add barley to the pan with the onion, garlic, and mushrooms; cook, stirring to coat, for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium.

Add hot broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring after each addition — until liquid is absorbed before adding more. You can step away for a bit but watch over it. Continue adding hot liquid until barley is creamy and tender but still slightly firm, about 45 minutes total. (If you find you need a little more liquid — just add a bit of hot water.)

Stir in parsley and salt. Serve topped with shaved Parmesan cheese.

Author’s note:

Dried mushrooms, once reconstituted have a deep mushroom flavor that I love. If you only have canned mushrooms, no worries — you need to fry them in butter first until they are dark brown. Then follow the rest of the recipe.

I sometimes mix in some steamed green peas or steamed and chopped asparagus too.

Thanks for reading! I have loads of food essays (delicious recipes too) and thoughtful and quirky simpler living essays waiting for you. (Well over 100 of them!) And this story caught the attention of NBC News In New York!