Barley with mushrooms: the recipe for a creamy and tasty autumn starter

L’mushroom barley it’s a single entry, creamy e deliciousideal to be enjoyed in autumn and served for lunch or dinner with guests.

To prepare it, cook theorzo pearl according to the recipe of Mushroom risotto: thanks to slow cooking, the cereals will absorb the different flavors of the sauce and take on a creamier consistency but, compared to classic risotto, they will take longer to finish.

The barley, in fact, is lightly roasted with the mushrooms, mixed with vegetable broth or white wine and cooked in another broth, to be added little by little until cooked.

For this preparation, we have chosen a mixture of fresh button mushrooms e dried porcini mushrooms, but it is also possible to use only one type, or to opt for frozen mushrooms. You can enrich the orzotto with kind of mushrooms that best suits your tastes: in addition to mushroom and you have porcini mushroomstoo drawing pins Oh chanterelles they are excellent to accompany this dish.

Finally, this cereal lends itself to many preparations: just think of the barley and porcini soup oh all barley soupsimple and tasty.

How to prepare mushroom orzotto

To prepare the mushroom orchard, start by cleaning the button mushrooms: rub them with a damp cloth to remove the soil and cut them into slices 1. If they get too dirty, you can quickly run them under water.

Meanwhile, soak the dried porcini mushrooms in lukewarm water for 20 minutes, then squeeze them and cut them into small pieces 2.

Chop the shallot with a knife, drizzle extra virgin olive oil in a high-sided pan and sauté the shallot over medium-low heat. 3.

When the shallot is lightly browned, add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook over high heat for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. 4.

Meanwhile, rinse the pearl barley under running water and drain 5.

Add it to the pan with the mushrooms and let it brown for a few seconds. Then pour a few ladles of vegetables soup hot and simmer 6. If you want a stronger flavor, you can mix the orzotto with 1/2 glass of white wine. Stir often and add the rest of the broth as it is absorbed: it will take about 40 minutes to cook.

At the end of cooking, check the flavor of the orzotto, season the dish with salt and pepper if necessary and add a handful of chopped parsley. Turn off the heat and add a little butter seven.

The mushroom orzotto is ready to serve, warm and, if desired, sprinkled with grated Parmesan 8.

Tips

If you use frozen mushrooms, cook them directly in a pan with oil and garlic, without defrosting them first.

Before serving the mushroom orzotto, you can enrich it with a pinch of grated parmesan, pecorino or parmesan cheese.

Mushroom orzotto is a healthy and substantial vegetarian first. To cook it in a vegan and lighter version, mix it with extra virgin olive oil or vegetable cream, and omit the butter and cheeses.

For the preparation of this recipe, we recommend using thepearl barley, which has shorter cooking times than wholemeal flour. Pearl barley, in fact, is peeled and removed from the bran: for this reason it is also more suitable for the preparation of soups and salads.