Speedy butternut squash barley ‘risotto’ tip

SERVES 2 PREP 10 mins COOK 20 mins EASY

V2 tsp olive oil

1 large shallot or small onion, finely

chopped

300g squash or pumpkin, cut into

1cm cubes

2 garlic cloves, crushed small handful of sage leaves, finely

chopped

½ tsp ground mace or a good grating

of nutmeg

160g spinach leaves

2 x 400g cans barley in water,

drained

300ml hot vegetable stock

40g parmesan or vegetarian

alternative, finely grated

1 Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat, and fry the shallot with a pinch of salt for

5 mins until soft. Add the squash, garlic, sage and mace, and fry, stirring continually, for another 6-8 mins until the squash is starting to soften and the garlic is fragrant. 2 Tip in the spinach and barley with some seasoning and the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 4-5 mins until the spinach has wilted. Add a splash more stock or water, if you like. When the ‘risotto’ is thick and creamy, taste to see if it needs a little more mace or nutmeg and seasoning. Stir in most of the parmesan, then top with the remaining parmesan and grind over some black pepper to serve.

GOOD TO KNOW healthy • low cal • low fat • calcium • vit c • folate • fibre • 2 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 336 kcals • fat 10g • saturates 5g • carbs 40g • sugars 9g • fibre 10g • protein 16g • salt 0.9g

If you want to use dried pearled barley, cook 200g pearl barley in boiling salted water for 50 mins to 1 hr until tender with just a little firmness to the middle of the grains. Drain and rinse, then it’s ready for use in this recipe. You can also cook it for 10-15 mins in a pressure cooker, if you prefer.