mushroom barley risotto

Happy Friday, friends! What are you up to this weekend? We will be getting our hands dirty in our garden, prepping the beds for a sprinkling of lettuce seeds to hit the soil next week. So exciting! Nothing says "Spring!" like a Saturday spent in the yard. I've got my fingers crossed, hoping that the blue sky I see outside of my window sticks around!

Looking ahead at all of the fresh, green produce arriving in the next couple of months made me realize that I've been holding out on you. I really couldn't let Winter completely slip away without sharing this favorite recipe with you all. This hearty little risotto has made an appearance on our table multiple times these last few months and we just can't seem to get enough of it! In fact, there are leftovers in the refrigerator right now, and I am very much looking forward to lunch.

Mushrooms and I got along very well this Winter. That's a change for me, as I've never been a big fan of the stinky fungi. Not that I had anything against them, but I didn't actively seek them out for recipes. Something happened this year, though, and I found myself picking up a half-pound of fresh Cremini mushrooms nearly every week. Usually they were for this risotto, but also for empanadas, and veggie burgers, and a lasagna I haven't yet shared. What I love about the mushrooms in this recipe is that they really are the perfect mate for barley, which replaces the arborio rice typically found in risotto. Both lend an earthiness to the dish that you expect, but they also complement each other texturally. The barley remains a bit firm, providing the slightest resistance as you chew, while the mushrooms are silky and smooth and nearly melt on the tongue. The whole process is relatively quick and simple, not requiring the constant stirring like a traditional risotto, but also makes an impressive side dish for company.

Enjoy the weekend...get outside!

Mushroom Barley Risotto

serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 8 ounces cleaned and sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Method

1. Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Saute' onion until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. 
2. Add all mushrooms and saute' until golden brown, about 10 minutes, adding 1 to 3 tbsp water if they start to stick.
3. Stir in herbs and garlic, then add barley and stir for 1 minute. Add 4 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. 
4. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed. Remove lid and add more broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until each addition is absorbed, until barley is tender but still slightly firm. You may not use all of the broth, but you will use most of it. This whole process, from the time you add the first broth, should take 35-40 minutes.
5. Remove pan from heat and add butter and cheese, stirring until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

lentil, olive, + mushroom veggie burgers

Mother Nature has been so fickle lately, flitting between gray, dreary, and frigid one day to 63* and sunny the next. She's a tease, I tell you, and I am ready for her to make up her mind. I've spent the last two months hoping for a big, big snowstorm, eager for a Winter as entertaining as last. But now that we're into February with no more than a few inches on record, I'm over it. Spring can dig in her heels and stay permanently, as long as she brings sunshine, warmth, and backyard barbecues with her. There are only so many casseroles and stews and butternut squash one can take in one season!

Last weekend I grew tired of waiting and took matters into my own hands when I made our weekly menu. I've had veggie burgers on the brain for over a year since discovering my favorite veggie patty, ever, at Boylan Heights here in Charlottesville. I am not a vegetarian, but I do eat a mostly vegetarian diet and am a fan of beef only on the rarest of occasions. What I love about that Boylan Heights veggie patty, and now this veggie patty, is that it doesn't try to imitate the taste or texture of meat. Instead, the actual ingredients of the patty are allowed to shine - in this case mushrooms, lentils, and Kalamata olives. Yum. 

For an extra-summery feeling, try serving the patties on english muffins adorned with lettuce, red bell pepper, alfalfa sprouts, sliced cucumber, and tzatziki. I promise you'll feel better about the state of the weather, at least for the evening. Also, if you read through the comments on the Post Punk Kitchen  post linked in the recipe below, you'll find many variations and substitutions for the ingredients in this burger. Just in case mushrooms or olives aren't your thing.

This is not similar in taste or texture to the Boylan Heights veggie patty, and that is not what I was going for. If you're interested in the BH recipe, you can find it here. I'll make it eventually, but it seems a bit complicated/time consuming and at this point I am happy to just visit the restaurant and let the chefs there make it for me. Plus, their sweet potato fries are the best around.

Lentil, Olive, + Mushroom Veggie Burgers
from post punk kitchen
serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced medium (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• fresh black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1-1/4 cups lentils (I used dried lentils cooked in veggie broth, but the original recipe calls for canned)
• 1 cup breadcrumbs, divided (I used panko)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• cooking spray

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Heat a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion for about 3 minutes with a pinch of salt. Add mushrooms, garlic, black pepper, thyme, and parsley and saute for 7 to 10 minutes, until mushroom is cooked.
3. While mushroom mixture cooks, place the olives in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Remove from food processor and set aside.
4. When mushroom mixture is cooked, add to the food processor. Add all of the other ingredients EXCEPT 1/2 a cup of the breadcrumbs. Pulse until mostly smooth, but there should still be some texture. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs to the burger mixture, along with the chopped olives, and thoroughly combine.
5. Divide the burger mix into 6 equal pieces. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Form mixture into patties, spray with a little more cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes. Flip burgers and bake for 12 to 15 more minutes, until nicely browned. (I also pan-fried these instead of baking them, which was tasty too).

butternut squash + sweet potato soup

I think I owe you all this one. Something healthy, hearty, warming, and veggie-full. If I were you I'd be a little upset with me, returning after 3 months away with sticky buns. And empanadas. And cake. Especially with all of those resolutions floating around at the back of your mind, begging to be broken by a lemon-scented, butter and cream-filled dessert. That's just wasn't fair of me, was it?

So, here you go; my new favorite soup. A version of which I've been making for many years...but there is just something so right about this particular one. Perhaps it is the incredibly frigid winter we're having in Charlottesville; a January full of gray skies that threaten, but haven't truly delivered, a good snow. Cheerful orange soups are especially good during months like that. Or maybe it is the fact that I work out of my home office now, and that every now and then as I sit at my computer, blanket and cat warming my lap, fingers nearly frozen, I'll think "soup would be wonderful for lunch". And then I get up and go to the kitchen and make this one. Soup cooked under those circumstances tastes just a little better, I think, and I'm liking that perk of self-employment very, very much.

Even made in the evening this soup is a big hit. Smooth and rich without the addition of cream, hearty and earthy and rosemary-scented, quick and easy and made in one pot. What's not to like? Please try it, I'd love to hear what you think.

Butternut Squash + Sweet Potato Soup
serves 4

Ingredients:

• (1) small butternut squash, about 1.5 pounds, diced (1/2-inch)
• (2) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (1/2-inch)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3-inch sprig of fresh rosemary
• 2 tbsp butter
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• salt + pepper

Method:

1. Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and rosemary and stir to coat. Cover pot and allow veggies to sweat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. After 10 minutes, add broth. Bring to a boil then drop heat to moderate simmer. Let soup simmer for an additional 20 minutes, until potatoes and squash are quite tender.  Remove rosemary sprig.  Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree' soup until smooth and creamy.  Salt and pepper to taste.