Pearl barley is a great alternative to arborio or carnaroli rice for making a heartier risotto with a wholesome texture. Use whatever wild/exotic mushrooms you can find — oyster, shiitake and sjimeiji are great choices, but forest mushrooms will also work very well.

Pearl barley takes a little longer to cook than traditional risotto rice, so be patient and enjoy the slow process with a glass of The Yellowwood Organic Red blend. The topping of crispy, salty kale is a welcome alternative to expensive pine nuts or truffle oil.

Ingredients

• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) butter
• 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• About 300 g pearl barley
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine
• 1 litre (4 cups) good quality chicken or vegetable stock, warmed
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper
  

For topping

• 30 ml butter
• About 150 g mushrooms, broken up or sliced into smaller pieces
• Salt & pepper

For the crispy kale

• 3-4 cups kale, roughly chopped
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Salt & pepper

Method

1. Heat butter and oil in a medium-size pot over medium heat. Fry the onion until soft and translucent, then add the pearl barley.
2. Toast the pearl barley, frying, for about 3 minutes, then add the wine. Cook, stirring, until almost all of the wine has been absorbed.
3. Add the stock ladle by ladle, stirring between each addition until the stock has almost been fully absorbed. This process should take about 45 minutes, so add more water or stock towards the end if the barley is not fully cooked yet (turn the heat to very low and cover to soften towards the end). Remove from the heat, then add 2 tablespoons butter, a generous amount of parmesan cheese and lemon zest and stir until the butter is melted.
4. Season with salt & pepper and serve immediately, topped with pan-fried mushrooms and crispy kale (see below).
   

For the mushrooms
While the risotto is cooking, fry the mushrooms in butter until golden and season with salt and pepper.

For the crispy kale

1. Preheat oven to 220 C.
2. Rinse the kale and chop into smaller pieces. Arrange on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crispy but not too dark. Remove from the oven to cool.