Saffron-and-Mushroom Barley Risotto
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Dried porcini mushrooms
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Saffron
- Pearled barley
- Onions
- White wine
- Olive oil
- Vegetable stock
- Parsley
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Preparation
- Step 1
Cook a chopped onion in olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Step 2
Add 1.5 cups pearled barley and cook, stirring until it's glossy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Step 3
Add a pinch of saffron, a splash of dry white wine and a handful of dried porcini mushrooms.
- Step 4
Stir and let the liquid bubble away on medium heat.
- Step 5
Add 4 cups hot vegetable stock, a cup at a time, stirring after each addition and waiting until the mixture is nearly dry before adding the next.
- Step 6
Meanwhile, cook a handful of shiitake mushrooms in olive oil until lightly crisped; stir into the barley when it's done and serve garnished with parsley.
Private Notes
Comments
20 minutes!!!?? I'm an hour into this and still adding liquid to get this tender. Honestly, at this point I don't care how it tastes given I'm so irritated by the amount of time it's taking. C'mon Bittman and NYtimes, be honest about cooking times! This isn't the first time this has happened to me with a recipe on this site. I was looking for a *quick* recipe to make after work; now it's pushing 9pm and we haven't eaten yet.
Most recipes that use dried porcini recommend soaking them and then straining the porcini liquid to remove dirt. Are gritty dried porcini not an issue?
This is a terrible recipe. I expect far more from NYT and Mark Bittman. The proportions and technique are for risotto -- not soup. (I should have seen it coming but I trusted NYT/Bittman). I ended up with a gooey mess that was neither soup, stew or risotto. Recipe needs at most 1/3-1/2 the amount of barley, more stock and vegetables (e.g. carrots, celery, etc. for flavor), plus more mushrooms relative to the barley. I am very disappointed in this recipe. What the heck happened here?
Quick, easy and fulfilling! Since I didn't have all those ingredients I divided in half, replaced the shiitake mushrooms with cremini and saffran with a blend of spices. With an homemade broth, and an extra splash of wine, it was a tasty, simple meal.
If pearled barley as called for in the recipe is used, it will cook in the time called for.
Wonderful recipe I can’t understand the many complaints. It took me 30 minutes and the whole family was satisfied and happy! Cooking time for pearl barley about 15 minutes. I skipped the dried mushrooms and replaced them with non-dried mushrooms. I added carrots.
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