Savory Meyer Lemon Crispy Mushroom Barley “Risotto” with Fresh Herbs and Wildflower Honey
Two ancient full-flavor ingredients for a truly timeless dish!
Barley can trace its roots back to some of the most ancient cultures we know!It’s been cultivated as far back as 5000 BCE in Egypt, 2350 BCE in Mesopotamia, 3000 BCE in northwestern Europe, and 1500 BCE in China. It was also a choice cereal grain make unleavened bread by the Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans and of much of Europe through the 16th century.
Today it's the fourth largest grain crop globally and is commonly used in everything from health products to stews!
Mushrooms have an equally impressive pedigree.
European, Asian, and South American countries have used fungi as food for thousands of years. They’ve been used in everything from rituals and medicine to fine cuisine and street food dishes. In America the love of mushrooms blossomed in the 1800s and entire recipe and horticulture books with the primary focus of mushrooms have been published over the years. Most notably, Kate Sargeant’s, “One Hundred Mushroom Recipes”-1899 and Mushrooms: how to grow them by William Falconer-1891.
In this original recipe, Barley and Mushrooms truly shine as they intelligently play in concert with the zesty lemon, earthy sweet potato, bright fresh herbs and the surprisingly savory addition of wildflower honey. Be prepared for an exciting new way to get the full health benefits of barley and mushrooms without sacrificing any flavor!
-
Time:
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
-
8 ounces Precooked barley
½ cup milk
2 cups Beef Broth or Chicken Broth
Wildflower Honey (for drizzling)
1 meyer lemon
2 small sweet potatoes
4 ounces Oyster Mushroom
1 ½ cups spinach
1 tab butter
½ cup gruyere cheese
4 ounces mushroom
thyme
basil
sage
parsley
2 sprigs rosemary
garlic granules
-
Nutrition per serving:
Calories, 590.24kcal, 30% DV
Total Fat, 30.55g, 44% DV
Carbs, 66.81g, 26% DV
Sugars, 9.09g, 10% DV
Protein, 16.62g, 33% DV
Sodium, 637.91mg, 32% DV
Fiber, 12.58g, 45% DV
Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Health Score: 7.1/10
*Health Scores are calculated on a 1-10 scale based on nutrient density and USDA recommendations for a healthy diet. A higher Health Score means healthier food. The value based on impact of more than 28 nutrients.
Nutrients in this dish with a positive impact:
Unsaturated Fat, 10g, 21% DV
Fiber, 13g, 45% DV
Protein, 17g, 33% DV
Potassium, 820mg, 23% DV
Magnesium, 94mg, 25% DV
Iron, 3mg, 23% DV
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425F. Zest 1 lemon and set aside in a small bowl. Chop the parsley, basil, and pick the thyme and set aside in a small bowl. Chop the sage and set aside separately from the other herbs.
Step 2
Peel and finely cube sweet potato and slice mushrooms. Arrange on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of sea salt, and sprinkle of garlic granules. Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until mushrooms crisp up.
Step 3
Place butter in a pot, add precooked barley, chopped sage and rosemary, and whisk.
Step 4
Slowly add in 1 cup of beef broth and keep whisking.
Step 5
As barley becomes creamy, slowly whisk in the second cup of beef broth.
Step 6
Add in milk and keep whisking. As liquid is reduced and barley is creamy, remove the rosemary sprig and add in gruyere cheese and sweet potato.
Step 7
Portion risotto into bowls and top with crispy mushrooms, chopped herbs, lemon zest and a drizzle of wildflower honey. The wildflower honey is essential it will actually make the dish more savory and bring out the flavor of the herbs.
Step 8
Enjoy the surprising flavor!
-
Antique Engraved Victorian Botanical Illustration of Poisonous Mushrooms: Plate 9, from The Book of Practical Botany in Word and Image, Published in 1886
Sargeant, Kate (1899). One Hundred Mushroom Recipes. Charles Orr, Cleveland, Ohio. Source: Archive.org
Smith, Andrew F. (2007). The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. Oxford University Press, New York, New York.
Mushroom: A Global History (Edible) , Cynthia D. Bertelsen, 2013