Barley deserves to be a regular part of your meals. It’s a nutritious, delicious grain that’s enjoyable to eat. But who will lighten it up? Our favorite vegetable!
For this recipe, we used hulled barley. Pearl barley can be used as well for faster cooking.
Recipe
Zucchini barley risotto
Servings 2 people
Ingredients
- 350 g precooked hulled barley or 100 g of dry grains
- 1 onion
- 1 stock cube
- spices e.g., caraway, perfect for this recipe
- 1 slice lemon
- 3 sun-dried tomatoes optional
- 1 glass of white wine
- oil
Instructions
Preparing the Barley
- For hulled barley: Soak the grains 12 hours in advance, then precook them in salted water for 20 minutes.
- For pearl barley: Soak the grains for 2 hours, then precook for 10 minutes in salted water.
Final Preparation
- Sauté the chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the spices and bouillon cube.
- Stir in the precooked barley, cooking for a few minutes to dry and lightly toast the grains.
- Pour in the white wine and stir.
- Cover with water or broth.
- Add the lemon, chopped into small pieces (with peel). Cook for 15 minutes, adding boiling water as needed for absorption.
- Add the diced zucchini and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Optional: A few minutes before the end, add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes for extra flavor and color.
Extra Tip: Save a few raw zucchini cubes and add them to the plates just before serving for a crunchy touch.