BARLEY BUTTERNUT RISOTTO

Recipe From Eat More, Live Well

Serves 4

Prep 10 mins Cook 35 mins

Base:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 leek, sliced (approx 150g) 3 celery sticks, sliced (approx 130g)

½ butternut squash or sweet potato, diced (approx 400g)

3 garlic cloves, grated/ crushed (approx 12g)

8 sage leaves or ½ tsp dried sage

240g pearl barley 900ml vegetable stock 30g Parmesan, grated 150g spring greens or spinach, chopped

To serve (optional):

extra-virgin olive oil, for frying

4 sage leaves

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds 20g Parmesan, shaved lemon zest, to taste

There are few things more comforting than a bowl of creamy risotto. Switching up the grain from rice to barley gives it a deliciously nutty taste (not to mention the added fibre, boasting 13g per portion) – and you can mix up the other plants to suit what’s in season or what you have in the fridge.

METHOD

Add the olive oil to a large casserole pot or saucepan and put on a medium heat.

Add the leek, celery and butternut squash and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until starting to soften.

Then add the garlic and sage, stir well to mix into the vegetables and cook for 1 minute.

Scatter the pearl barley over the top and pour the stock into the pan. Bring the liquid up to a rapid boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle boil and keep the lid off.

Cook the risotto for 30 minutes until the pearl barley is al dente.

Stir in to make sure nothing catches. Add a splash of water if it gets too dry.

Stir in the grated Parmesan, followed by the spring greens. Cook until the greens are just wilted (about 3-4 minutes). Season to taste.

If you want to really impress and add an extra plant point, serve with some crispy sage leaves and pumpkin seeds.

To achieve this, heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan and, when hot, drop in the sage leaves and pumpkin seeds and fry for a minute until crisp.

You can also serve the barley risotto with Parmesan shavings and lemon zest.

Storage: This can be kept in the fridge for 3 days, or frozen (minus the greens) for up to a month.

Switch: Other suggested vegetable and herb combos are pea, zucchini and mint. To make this 100 per cent plant-based, simply switch Parmesan out for nutritional yeast.

From Eat More, Live Well by Dr Megan Rossi: Penguin Life, $35 Picture: Andrew Burton