Creamy Pea & Chive Pearl Barley Risotto (Reduced Fat)

"I am a big fan of pearl barley as it is cheap, tasty, healthy and very filling. This sounds like a great new way to enjoy pearl barley with a bit of an Italian flare. I originally found this recipe in the BBC Good Food Magazine."
 
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photo by Karen Elizabeth photo by Karen Elizabeth
photo by Karen Elizabeth
photo by 5thCourse photo by 5thCourse
Ready In:
30mins
Ingredients:
7
Serves:
2
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ingredients

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directions

  • Heat the oil in a large, deep pan, then gently fry the onion for 3-4 minutes
  • Stir in the pearl barley, sizzle for a few mins, then pour in about a third of the stock.
  • Simmer fiercely for 20 mins, stirring occasionally, adding more stock gradually as it is absorbed.
  • With 5 mins to go, stir in the peas. After 20 mins there should be some liquid left and the barley should be cooked through.
  • Turn the heat off under the risotto and let it sit for a min, then stir in the cream cheese and most of the chives.
  • Season well and serve scattered with the rest of the chives.

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Reviews

  1. This was so easy to make and was a big hit with my family - especially my our year old son, he had 3 kid-size helpings! It was plenty of food for my fam of four and we also had leftovers. I did the math and it only cost me $5.25 to make! Definitely a keeper! The only changes I made was that I added minced garlic in with the onions and I added frozen peas at the very end, right before the cream cheese. I'm also eager to try new veggie and cream cheese combinations!
     
  2. This came out really well, even with a bunch of modifications. I had a whole box of instant barley I wanted to use up, so I used 4+ cups of chicken broth and a little more cream cheese. I also added garlic salt, black pepper, garlic pepper, and some herb blend seasoning. Right at the end, the dish was tasting somewhat flat, so I added some white wine, which I absolutely recommend. I will be making this frequently!
     
  3. I would never have thought of using pearl barley like this, and it was so good! Absolutely loved it, and the little I had left, I froze, and then took to work as my lunch, it freezes beautifully! this is a whole new experience and one I will definitely repeat, thank you for this marvellous discovery! made for Vegetarian swap#11
     
  4. Very good dish! We used it as a main course and added baby portobello mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Yummy! Also, we used quick-cooking barley so we cooked it on the side then added it to the veggies. We served this with freshly ground black pepper. We will absolutely be making this again! Thanks!!!
     
  5. A lovely dish! Works as a side dish or a meal, you could even add mushrooms with the onion, or cubed smoked ham near the end. Nice and creamy, yet with texture. Thanks! I never thought you could risotto barley! (to "risotto" something is now an official verb)
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I am originally from the Philadelphia area of the United States but have been living in London, UK since 1996. I now have dual American and British citizenship. I became a widow at the age of 27 in 2004 but have managed to fall in love again and was married again on July 19, 2008. I have a double major honors degree in sociology and politics and am slowly working my way through a Masters. I am a wanabee writer but until that dream becomes a reality I work in internet marketing where I build websites for profit. So, it is nice to come to a site like this and just enjoy being on the internet rather than using it as a work environment. I am a BBW (big woman) but over the past two years I have lost over 80lbs and am working my way down the scales slowly but steadily. These days, I am trying to eat a lot less meat. So, I am trying to have as many vegetarian recipes in the week as I can manage. I have started a blog - <a href="http://weekendcarnivore.com/">Weekend Carnivore</a> where I blog about trying to eat a mostly vegetarian diet. I share a lot of my discovered recipes there. If I make one of your vegetarian recipes and I managed to take a good photo of it, chances are I will blog about it and tell everybody how much I enjoyed it. These are banners and buttons from Zaar events in which I have participated: <img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/RSC%20Banners/RSC11-Participant.jpg"> <a href="http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/Missymop/?action=view&current=metermaids.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/Missymop/metermaids.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PAC08Main.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/adoptedspring08.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src=http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m445/mliss29/vegnswap1/group14tomato.jpg> <img src=http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m445/mliss29/vegnswap3/group07kiwi.jpg> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/cookbookZWT.jpg" border="0" alt="I am alw">
 
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