Dear readers, when I got the Secret Recipe Club assignment for this month I went into full-happy-dance mode! It turns out that I’ve been paying attention to Chocolate and Chillies for a looong time, and hoping I would be paired with it, to stalk it real good. And that is exactly what I did. Asiya, the hostess of Chocolate and Chillies, has a ton of recipes that entice me. She was born and raised in Toronto, where she now lives with her husband and two kids, but her family is originally from India. Her blog features recipes with a heavy Indian influence, and to make it even better, many are her own family recipes. I love it! I bookmarked many options, but five were the strongest contenders. Here they are: Butter Chicken (lower in fat than regular versions), Mummy’s Tomato Spiced Rice, Whole Wheat Banana Muffins, and… Afghani Kebob with Tomato Gravy. The fifth? It’s the one I ended up making: Barley Risotto with Peas and Asparagus. Oh, my…. what an amazing dish this was! I made a slight adaptation because the asparagus looked very sad at the grocery store that day, so I went with carrots.
BARLEY RISOTTO WITH PEAS AND CARROTS
(slightly modified from Chocolate and Chillies)
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ENJOY!
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to print the recipe, click here
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Comments: This was such a creamy, comforting dish, I love the traditional risotto made with Arborio rice, but this version with barley won my heart! I definitely want to make it with asparagus to celebrate the arrival of Spring and with it that infusion of life and joy and all things sunny and beautiful and gorgeous and warm into my personal equation. Can you detect my excitement as February says goodbye? I bet you can.
The barley risotto was served with grilled pork tenderloin, but for the next couple of days the risotto all by itself was my lunch. It tends to dry out a little bit in the fridge, but a little squirt of lemon juice brings it back nicely. I am not sure this could work for a risotto fritter like a regular rice risotto would, it seems to me that the grains of barley would be hard to keep together, but if anyone tries it and succeeds, let me know.
Asiya, I had a blast stalking your blog and picking a recipe to cook from!
For those interested in following the cooking adventures of the other Secret Recipe members in my group, poke the cute blue frog at the end of the post, and have fun!
ONE YEAR AGO: Oatmeal Fudge Bars
TWO YEARS AGO: Cauliflower Steaks
THREE YEARS AGO: Soft Spot for Chevre
FOUR YEARS AGO: Quick sun-dried Tomato Crostini
I woulda picked the same thing! Looooove barley.
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You and me both! Love it!
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I never thought of making a risotto with barley. The dish looks delicious.
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I think every single grain out there has been geared towards risotto lately, but to me, barley might be the best, it is so creamy, very good alternative to rice
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Great pick! This looks fantastic~ Lynn @ Turnips 2 Tangerines
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Thank you! Glad to see you here…
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Looks like it’s time to pull the barley out of the cupboard! Lovely choice!
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Exactly! The weather is just perfect for this type of meal….
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It is always fun to get a blog you have admired from afar for a while. Happy Reveal Day!!
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Yes, indeed…. I wanted to get her blog for quite some time, finally it landed on me 😉
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Barley risotto is the best! I like it better than arborio rice risotto as well….such great texture!
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Cooks in almost the same time, maybe even a little faster, and the texture is perfect
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This is the perfect comfort food for a cold night! Awesome pick this month 🙂
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Thank you, Melissa!
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I’ve made a similar recipe and used mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese, either way great recipe.
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Now that’s a great twist, mascarpone would be amazing here!
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Looks great! I love risotto and the pork looks delicious too! 🙂
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A little pork never hurt anyone…. quite the contrary 😉
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This looks AMAZING! I absolutely love barley and I’m always looking for new ways to use it. Bookmarking to try this! Great choice for the SRC. =)
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Thank you, Amy! Hope you try it soon…. I know you will love it!
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I love barley risotto. Mike will make with mushrooms and it just adds that extra bit of earthiness to the dish. I love it. This is a great version – so colorful and warming. And I’m with you…it’s time for warmer weather and spring colors! Have a great week Sally!
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Oh, yeah! Mushrooms would be AMAZING here…. imagine that, mascarpone and mushrooms… that will be it, my friend!
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Exactly! 🙂
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What a delicious selection!! Great SRC pick!! Such pretty colors too. 🙂
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Loved the colors, that was one thing the carrots did, brought a little orange to the pary
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What a great alternative to rice! Great SRC choice!
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Thank you, Dena! Hope you had a great Reveal Day!
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Thank you so much for your kind words Sally! Totally made my day 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed this Barley Risotto. I love Risotto but wanted a version with more fibre. I haven’t made this for a long time and now I think I will have to make some soon! Have a great day!
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Hello there!!!! So nice to see you here, and I also think it’s great when someone picks a recipe from my blog that I haven’t made in a while – brings back nice memories.
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What an awesome recipe! Quite honestly just looking at that picture gets me hungry for the Risotto, and I like the mixture of peas and rice (I’m actually trying to get more carbs in my diet too from natural sources, and this fits the bill perfectly). Thanks for sharing this!
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It is a perfect side dish or full meal, depending on your goals and taste. I need my carbs, that’s for sure, and this type of risotto fills but doesn’t leave you overstuffed for hours like some regular risottos do.
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I so rarely use barley, but this looks like a fun use of it.
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I definitely could cook barley more often, so it was nice to have a new technique to apply to one of my favorite grains.
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I had Chocolate and Chillies last month, wonderful blog! I have actually never cooked with barley before. Beautiful looking dish. My son would love it.
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Make this for your son, then.., and be ready to love it too! 😉
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Sally that dinner looks yummy! I’ve never made risotto, real or with barley, and it’s always been on my wish list. Great pick and your dish looks beautiful!
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Karen, I used to be afraid of risotto, but it’s such a “user-friendly” dish, just a little patience, and to be honest even with rice, I don’t stir as often as recommended, and never had a problem. It’s always creamy and delicious…
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Yum! I love risotto 🙂 Great choice. Fellow group D’er
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Thank you, Kirstin! Hope you had a blast with your assignment this month…
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What a great idea. I bet the texture is wonderful.
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Texture and taste were exactly the way we like it… very nice dish indeed, I hope you give it a try!
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to me this is the perfect side!
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I agree with you – a good amount of carbs, veggies, and just a little fat to make it all taste great… but not too much.
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I love cooking with barley! In fact, I start teaching a new series of classes next week and the main recipe for week 1 is a Barley Jambalaya….soo good.
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Barley Jambalaya! Can I take your class? Can I be your student? Can I taste-test all your recipes? Pleeeeeease? Pretty pleeeeeease? 😉
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We just had barley at a restaurant this weekend and were remarking that we don’t make it at home often enough (or ever)…. great timing! This sounds yummy!
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Funny! I never had barley in a restaurant, and I am now trying to think back, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it offered in a menu. Or maybe I did not pay attention, because I am sure in our trips to California we definitely went to places that would serve it. OH, well – something to look forward to
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I love this twist on risotto! I Would never think to use barley, but this would make for a fun, deconstructed – reconstructed beef and barley soup! Yum 🙂
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Oh, yeah! Beef and barley soup…. that would be perfect for any night of this week. Cold is back. Mood is rotten. Soup is the only hope for a smile
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I’m enchanted by all of the beautiful pea recipes that I’m coming across this week. It’s as though someone just lifted the veil on winter and welcomed spring. Barley is a great choice — it remains my favourite texture in soups and I bet it would be fantastic in this risotto. Very nice Sally.
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It was me! It was me who lifted that veil… I am always the one who does that, trust me!
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That’s it. I need to make risotto. It needs to happen this year. I can’t believe I have never even TRIED risotto before! This looks fantastic!
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Oh, you must absolutely bring risotto to your life, starting with Arborio, and then expanding your horizons… such a great dish!
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I love the texture of barley, and this looks so great with peas and carrots! I’m ready for spring too, and I won’t miss February one bit.
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We are expecting bitter cold this weekend. You don’t want to be around me. You really don’t.
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I am never sure of barley, though it finds its way into lamb casseroles here, and B is very fond of barley cous cous, but I reckon he would wolf this down so I am going to bookmark it, and it looks very inviting (said she who has not made any plans for supper and it is 6.30 pm…)
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oh, those 6:30pm days with no plans for dinner! They are tough…. I am not a very good improviser… I am sure you came up with some tasty meal, though…..
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I haven’t used my container of barley in a while and this sounds like a good reason to pull it out of my pantry…you recipe sounds terrific.
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hope you try it, Karen… it is a good way to get that barley to play!
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I don’t make nearly enough barley dishes! This looks so inviting. And I love almost anything with cream cheese 🙂 Great SRC pick!!
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