Food Review: Pearl Barley Risotto

Since I was home today, I had time to run to the store (okay Target) and pick up a large saucepan and a bottle of wine to make my pearl barley risotto. It took about an hour and a half to make, well at least 30 minutes of that was spent fighting with the cork in the wine bottle. Still, this is a time consuming recipe and it will take about an hour to make with prep and cooking time. However, I should point out that this is true of any risotto include the very traditional type made with arborio rice. Also, there is a lot of stirring, this is not a dish that one can just walk away from and have it turn out properly. The results are well worth the effort since it is both rich and satisfying either as a side dish or main course. Pearl Barley risotto is chewier than a traditional risotto and you will not mistake it for the original dish but it is nutty and lovely in its own right. The recipe I used is from the cookbook "The Best New Light Recipes" by the editors of Cook's Illustrated and if you are interested in cooking light but full flavored recipes, you should buy this book. I would say that you won't save that many calories on this dish but the fat is lower and the nutritional content a lot higher than a traditional risotto. I am working very hard at moderation in my life and part of that is enjoying good food in small quantities which I have prepared myself so that I know what I am eating. I maybe eat one meal out a week and everything else is food I have made from scratch in my kitchen. It has made a big difference in the last couple of months in my overall health and energy level. So, this is the kind of dish that I will enjoy in small quantities for this entire week. I expect that it will last until I go to the store on Sunday morning and replenish my food supplies.