Barley and Wild Mushroom Risotto
Remember if you are going to use wild mushrooms that you pick be sure that you know what they are before use as some can be highly toxic. A good site to try is this one agarics.org it is pretty comprehensive and is run by a nice bloke called Pete.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Risotto
300g of Barley
1 Onion
1 Leek
150g of wild mushrooms
1/4 of a cabbage
1 teaspoon of mustard
a little oil
vegetable or chicken stock
Cream or Parmesan or Soya Cream
Lemon barley water
The water from cooked barley
3 Tablespoons of Sugar (maybe more)
The juice of a lemon
Method
Barley needs to be cooked thoroughly, under cooking can lead to quite explosive flatulence, (as I have experienced)
Lemon Barley water
First boil the barley for about an hour in more than enough water.
Drain and mix the drained water with sugar until it dissolves adding more if not sweet enough for your taste.
Add the lemon juice to the liquid, bottle and use as cordial.
Risotto
Fry the Onions, leeks and Mushrooms in a little oil until softened.
Add the pre-cooked barley and stir for a minute or so, shred the cabbage add to the pan.
Add the mustard and a bay leaf.
Gradually top up with the stock and keep adding until the barley is well and truly soft.
Remove the Bay leaf.
Serve with Cream Parmesan or Soy Cream and wash down with the barley water.