I've had pearl barley risotto in a few restaurants over the years but for one reason or another (mainly laziness) I've never bothered to make it for myself, which is odd as I tend to cook risotto at least once a week.
And having picked up a few bargain quails from Waitrose earlier this evening (99p for two, which was nice) I struggled to think what to do with the damn things until I happened across an old memory of a Jamie Oliver recipe.
That was Pan-Fried Partridge with a Delicate Pearl Barley, Pea and Lettuce Stew, so I reasoned that quail was pretty close to partridge and a risotto was close enough to a stew and set about making dinner.
Not really knowing how to make pearl barley risotto, I stuck to my usual method of making risotto and sweated off some onions in olive oil for a few minutes before adding the pearl barley (80g) and stirring that through so it was fully coated in the oily onion mixture.
A generous splash of good white wine was added and reduced down (occasionally stirring the rice, although not as often as with a normal risotto) before I ladled in a good helping of white chicken stock and let that simmer away. And over the course of the next 45 minutes I added roughly a litre of stock to the pot, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding another and stirring occasionally to try and release some of the starch from the pearl barley.
When it was cooked though (pearl barley has a completely different texture to rice, so your personal preferences on 'doneness' might very) I seasoned the risotto, added a few herbs, popped in a knob of unsalted butter and let the whole thing rest with the lid on the pot for five minutes while I pan-fried the quail breasts I'd filleted earlier.
Alas I didn't have anything suitable to hand to photograph the end result, but it's really the taste of the thing that makes pearl barley risotto worth trying. In a word, it tastes fantastic. There's a slight nutty flavour coming from the pearl barley and the texture itself is so unique and perfect to partner a flavoursome and tender piece of poultry or game.
Obviously there's no reason to pair it with pan-fried quail breast as this was just what I happened to have to hand, but I'd certainly suggest something similar if that takes your fancy. Even a couple of pan-fried, skin-on poussin breasts or even a small chicken breast would work wonders.
But for the sake of a quid or two on ingredients, please try a very different and very tasty alternative to the normal way of making risotto. I really think you'll enjoy it.
And having picked up a few bargain quails from Waitrose earlier this evening (99p for two, which was nice) I struggled to think what to do with the damn things until I happened across an old memory of a Jamie Oliver recipe.
That was Pan-Fried Partridge with a Delicate Pearl Barley, Pea and Lettuce Stew, so I reasoned that quail was pretty close to partridge and a risotto was close enough to a stew and set about making dinner.
Not really knowing how to make pearl barley risotto, I stuck to my usual method of making risotto and sweated off some onions in olive oil for a few minutes before adding the pearl barley (80g) and stirring that through so it was fully coated in the oily onion mixture.
A generous splash of good white wine was added and reduced down (occasionally stirring the rice, although not as often as with a normal risotto) before I ladled in a good helping of white chicken stock and let that simmer away. And over the course of the next 45 minutes I added roughly a litre of stock to the pot, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding another and stirring occasionally to try and release some of the starch from the pearl barley.
When it was cooked though (pearl barley has a completely different texture to rice, so your personal preferences on 'doneness' might very) I seasoned the risotto, added a few herbs, popped in a knob of unsalted butter and let the whole thing rest with the lid on the pot for five minutes while I pan-fried the quail breasts I'd filleted earlier.
Alas I didn't have anything suitable to hand to photograph the end result, but it's really the taste of the thing that makes pearl barley risotto worth trying. In a word, it tastes fantastic. There's a slight nutty flavour coming from the pearl barley and the texture itself is so unique and perfect to partner a flavoursome and tender piece of poultry or game.
Obviously there's no reason to pair it with pan-fried quail breast as this was just what I happened to have to hand, but I'd certainly suggest something similar if that takes your fancy. Even a couple of pan-fried, skin-on poussin breasts or even a small chicken breast would work wonders.
But for the sake of a quid or two on ingredients, please try a very different and very tasty alternative to the normal way of making risotto. I really think you'll enjoy it.