Butternut Squash & Pearl Barley Risotto
Back from holiday, the days are shorter and cooler. This dish embodies the flavours of autumn with a hearty butternut squash and pearl barley risotto.
This is our first recipe using pearl barley and it combines the natural sweetness of roasted butternut squash with the nutty texture of the pearl barley. It’s a comforting dish perfect for cooler evenings, simple and delicious.
Cooking surfaces
BBQ Temperature
INGREDIENTS
- 75g butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, diced 1.5cm cubes
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Dash of white wine or Vermouth, optional
- 1 litre stock (vegetable or chicken)
- 250g pearl barley, rinsed
- 2 sprigs sage, leaves removed and finely sliced
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 lemon, sliced into quarters
Method
- Set up your Big Green Egg for a direct cook at 200°C.
- Pop in your stainless steel griddle, followed by a cast iron skillet.
- While the skillet heats up, it’s a good idea to prepare all your other ingredients.
- Start by adding 25g butter to the pan and once melted add the onion, garlic and squash with a pinch of salt. Fry for about 10 minutes until the onion is translucent and the squash is beginning to soften.
- Make the warm stock and add half of the sliced sage leaves.
- Add another 25g of butter to the pan. Add the pearl barley and a splash of wine or Vermouth, if using to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add a ladle of warm stock, stir through the pan and once absorbed, add another ladle of stock, stirring from time to time. Repeat this step, until the stock is used up and the pearl barley has puffed up and is tender (it takes about 30 minutes).
- Once the pearl barley is tender, taste and season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Add the remaining butter to the pan and mix through the risotto.
- Serve the risotto topped with the remaining sliced sage leaves. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to give it some zing!