Autumn Pumpkin Barley Risotto with Roasted Tomatoes and Fried Garlic Mushrooms

This dish comes from http://www.vegsoc.org.au/ , which is the website for the Vegetarian/Vegan society of Queensland

Autumn Pumpkin Barley Risotto with Roasted Tomatoes and Fried Garlic Mushrooms

Ingredients:

Risotto:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 to 2 cups finely chopped pumpkin
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Dash white wine (optional)
2 cups pearled barley, soaked for at least one hour
pinch dried thyme
pinch sugar
6 cups boiling water
2 Tbsp Massel vegetable or chicken stock powder
Either half bunch basil, NOT chopped or 6 to 8 leaves of sage
Squeeze of lemom (optional)

Roasted Tomatoes:

a few tomatoes (cut in half)
a little salt, sugar and garam masala
olive oil spray

Fried Garlic Mushrooms:

as many mushrooms as you want, quartered or sliced
as much garlic as you want
butter or oil


Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large casserole pan or a wok; add onions and pumpkin and fry until everything is getting brown.

2. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, sugar, thyme and sage leaves, if using.Fry til all is nicely browned and caramelised.

3. Add the drained barley and the white wine, and stir until the wine is evaporated.Add the water and the stock powder.Add whole leaves of basil.Simmer with lid, if possible, for an hour, checking water level; it should be a little wet but not a soup; like risotto made with rice.

4. Meanwhile, sprinkle the cut tomatoes with the salt and sugar and garam masala, then spray with olive oil spray and roast in a moderate oven until well cooked.

5. As the risotto is just about ready, add all the ingredients for the mushrooms in a frypan and fry until the mushrooms have the desired texture (some mushrooms will "crisp" up on the outside a bit...just experiment)

6. Sprinkle the risotto with a touch lemon juice just before you serve, if you like a little sharpness with the dish (optional).

7. Serve, with the oven roasted tomatoes and fried garlic mushrooms.

Serves: 4

Rating: 4