Barley "risotto"

Little Miss' daddy "doesn't like rice" and yet risotto is a staple favourite in the household along with curry. I think this is a bit like his "I don't like coconut" and yet he eats and likes everything I give him with coconut in it! 

We probably have a risotto every couple of weeks so to mix it up a bit we made it with pearl barley tonight. Barley is full of nutrients and brings a bit of a nutty flavour to the risotto.

I tend to put whatever vegetables we have in the fridge into the risotto. Tonight it was marrow, mushrooms and tomatoes.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil (we uses sunflower)

Half a large onion, diced

1/3 of a marrow/a whole courgette, cubed

300g mushrooms (about 8-10 closes cup mushrooms), chopped

1 1/4 cup dry pearl barley

A baby vegetable stock cube (I.e. very low/no salt)

3 largish tomatoes, chopped

Method

Fry the onion for a few minutes in the oil then add the marrow and mushrooms and cook for a further 5-10 minutes so they are softened.

Make up the stock according to package instructions.

Add the barley to the saucepan.

Add half the stock and stir intermittently until the water has been absorbed.

Add in the rest of the stock and continue in the same manner.

The pearl barley pack instructions seem to vary but tend to say to cook the barley for an hour to an hour an a quarter. It should be soft; a sort of pasta consistency. You may need to add in some extra water if it all gets absorbed and needs more cooking.

Add in the chopped tomatoes about 5 minutes until the end.

This made enough for all 3 of us to have for a meal as well as a couple of extra baby portions for the freezer.

Excuse the bad phone picture!

I like mine with a little bit more seasoning but added at the table to keep it baby friendly.

Enjoy!

JULES XOXO