Love ham & barley soup? Then you’ll love this risotto-style main dish, made using barley instead of rice.
Photo by Michael Olson
ingredients
directions
In a large soup pot, heat the oil on medium and add the onion, celery and carrot, sautéing until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and barley and sauté 1 minute more.
Add the white wine and stir, simmering until the wine has been absorbed. Start adding the stock a cup at a time, stirring occasionally (unlike traditional rice-based risotto, you don’t have to constantly stir this dish). Add the ham, bay leaves, paprika and celery salt after the first addition of stock and add the yellow pepper and tomato after the third addition of stock. The risotto will take about 45 minutes to cook until the barley is tender – test it by tasting to determine if you need to add the last ½ cup of stock.
Season the risotto and serve with grated Parmesan and parsley.