Green Coriander & Pearl Barley ‘Risotto’
The renewed interest in long-forgotten grains has been one of the most exciting food trends in the last five years. These grains were staples in my grandmother's cooking as well as in the dishes still found in so many food cultures, from Mexico to India to the Middle East. Grains are full of nutrition, largely gluten-free and reduce or eliminate the need for meat, making them an inexpensive but healthy option for recipes. Here I've taken a very British grain and given it a Mexican makeover, using an Italian cooking style. The result is a really wonderful risotto, green, herby and alive with flavour.
Ingredients
For the Risotto:
120g pearl barley, rinsed
40g butter
200g fresh sweetcorn kernels (cut from 2 sweetcorn cobs), plus extra to serve (optional)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
120ml single cream
120ml whole milk
For the Coriander Purée:
bunch of coriander, leaves and stalks
3 handfuls of spinach leaves
1 green chilli, seeds left in and roughly chopped
1/2 garlic clove, roughly chopped
juice of 1 lime
60ml olive oil
75g salted ricotta, to serve
Recipe
Place the pearl barley in a pan with plenty of salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 35-40 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
Put the butter in a pan over a medium heat and, once melted, add the sweetcorn, garlic, onion and a big pinch of salt and sweat for 5-7 minutes until tender. Stir in the cream and milk and cook for a further 5 minutes until the mixture has reduced slightly. Transfer to a blender or food processor and whizz until smooth. Return to the pan, stir in the drained pearl barley and keep warm.
Place the coriander, spinach, green chilli and garlic in a food processor and blitz until coarsely chopped, then add the lime juice and blitz again. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil until you have a glossy green purée. Season to taste, then stir into the sweetcorn and barley. Gently warm up, then transfer to plates. Grate over the ricotta before serving with a few sweetcorn kernels scattered over, if you like.
Why not try roast squash with labneh & coriander oil?
Halve, peel and deseed a butternut squash and cut into thick slices. Rub the slices with 2 tbsp olive oil, a sprinkling of Turkish chilli flakes, a pinch of dried oregano and a pinch of sumac. Roast in a preheated oven at 200°C/gas 6 for 30 minutes. Top with dollops of labneh, sprinkle over 2 tbsp toasted sunflower seeds and drizzle with 2 tbsp coriander purée (see above). Serve with warm flatbreads. Feeds 3.
IMAGE CREDIT: Tara Fisher