Risotto-Style Barley with Orange and Kale

We spent most of the past week working on a project for the 2011 NW Flower and Garden show. A project, we didn't realize would have us screen printing at all hours of the night and waking up to do it all over again. But we're finally finished and if you happen to go to the show this week, you can see the panels we created hanging in all their glory.

I knew the week was going to be a bit crazy early on, so I decided to carve out some time over the weekend to make this risotto-style dish. I had a craving for something warm and creamy but still healthy and this fit that request perfectly.

I love cooking with barley and find myself not using it often enough. Barley has this great chewiness to it that just kind of pops in your mouth. I've never made it as a kind of risotto that required lots of stove time and continuous stirring, but it was great for a cold, wet day that had me wanting some quality stove time to keep me warm.

The addition of orange really brightens things up and gives a unique flavor to the whole thing. I'd imagine more lemon instead would be another great option. I added the kale while the barley was still warm, which allowed it to cook down slightly to the perfect texture.

There are a few different options when buying barley. You can buy it hulled, pearled, and even quick. Hulled barley still has its bran layer intact which makes it higher in nutrition and fiber, but it takes the longest to cook, it can also be harder to find. Pearled is what I used here and is the most common you'll find in stores. It cooks faster than hulled, but it lacks it's bran layer, which means it lacks a bit of nutrition. Last is the quick version, which has already been lightly cooked and re-dried for faster preparation. You can also get barley as flour and rolled like oats.If you decide to use hulled or quick barley here, you will need to adjust the cooking times.

Risotto-Style Barley with Orange and Kale

Adapted from Heidi's Super Natural Cooking

serves 4-6

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups pearled barley

1 cup vegetable stock

6 cups water

1 orange

2 cups packed kale, destemmed and roughly chopped

zest of one lemon

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup créme fraîche or sour cream

handful of chopped toasted walnuts, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion, shallots, garlic, and salt and sauté, stirring contantly, for about 4 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.

Add the barley to the pot and stir until coated with a nice sheen, then add the vegetable broth and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes, until the barely has absorbed the liquid a bit. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle, active simmer.

Add the 6 cups of water in increments of 1 cup at a time, letting the barley absorb most of the liquid between additions. This whole process should take about 40 minutes altogether. You'll want to stir regularly, because you don't want to barely to scorch on the bottom of the pot. When the barley is finished, it shouldn't offer up much resistance when chewing (but it will be chewier than Arborio rice). Don't worry if there is a little more broth than you're used to for risotto, it still tastes delicious.

While the barley cooks, grate the zest of the orange, then peel and segment the orange and cut into pieces. When the barley is tender and still warm stir in the kale. The warmth from the cooked barley should cook it down a little. Then stir in the orange zest, pieces and any juice that has squeezed out, lemon zest, Parmesan, and créme frîche. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be. Garnish with the toasted walnuts before serving.