Creamy Orzotto with Mushrooms, Herbs & Dark Beer
Orzotto - a creamy barley risotto with nutty, earthy flavors courtesy of pearled barley, mushrooms, sage, doppelbock lager and beef stock. Serves 4 as a side or 2 as an entree. Easy to scale recipe.
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Servings: 2
Calories: 234kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 cup pearled barley rinsed
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2-3 sprigs sage leaves only, finely chopped (or leave whole in order to remove from orzotto once done
- 1 teaspoon salt + a pinch for the mushrooms
- ½ teaspoon pepper + a pinch for the mushrooms
- 1 cup dark beer such as bock, doppelbock, dunkel, stout, porter
- 2 ½ cups beef stock or vegetbale or mushroom
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 oz mushroom sliced thin
- 3-4 sprigs thyme leaves picked
- ¼ cup cream
Instructions
- 1. Heat a deep pot with a lid such as a Dutch oven over medium-high. Add olive oil and saute the diced onion until soft, about 4-5 minutes.
- 2. Add the rinsed pearled barley, stir well and toast in the pot for about 2 minutes.
- 3. Add the salt, pepper, sage, minced garlic and stir. Deglaze with the beer, stir and let cook for about 1-2 minutes.
- 4. Add the beef stock, stir, cover, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about 30 minutes or until the liquids are mostly absorbed by the barley*. You can stir occasionally.
- 5. While the barley is cooking melt butter in a pan over medium heat and saute the sliced mushrooms seasoned with the thyme and a bit of salt and pepper. When their moisture is mostly released, add the cream and simmer to reduce a bit.
- 6. Fold in the creamy mushrooms into the pot with the barley. Stir to incorporate and if the consistency is still a bit soupy cook uncovered for a couple of minutes until the orzotto reaches your desired thickness.
Notes
* Your goal is for the barley grains to become tender but still slightly chewy.
You can fold in a bit of extra butter in the end or half a cup of grated aged cheese such as Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano.
Garnish with fresh sage or thyme or both.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 852mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g
