Roasted Beet Barley Risotto

 The Hubs and I made the Great Move (during which a large stack of boxes prevented my blogging) which took us to an apartment right next to the beach.  And we enjoyed two whole days of summer before the rain came back (for the foreseeable future).  At least all of this cold, rainy weather has motivated me to make the roasted beet barley risotto I talked about ages ago. Besides, I think those beets have languished in the fridge long enough.

Usually, recipes for roasted beets suggest that you turn your oven up to 425 degrees, wrap the beets in tin foil and roast them for your whole life up to an hour and a half. And that is officially more time than I want to spend on a weeknight dinner (let alone just one part of it).  The easy solution to this is to shorten the beets' roasting time by steaming them for about 20 minutes before putting them in the oven to roast.  The steaming loosens the skin so that it just rubs off in a kitchen towel and softens them so that you can cut the beets into smaller pieces.

We've all heard that Americans need to eat more whole grains and that we should be getting X number of servings of whole grains each day, but have you tried to actually accomplish this recommendation?  It's tough and mainly because the whole grains take so much longer to cook.  (Remember my inability to spend over an hour on a weeknight meal?)  Luckily barley counts as a whole grain, is pretty quick cooking, and works really well in risotto as an aborrio substitute.  In fact, the cooking process for barley risotto is exactly the same as the process for traditional risotto.  It's a magic combination: quick(er) cooking beets and a whole grain stand-in for white rice.

Roasted Beet and Barley Risotto

6 - 8 large beets, tops removed
1 1/2 cup pearled barley
2 quarts chicken stock
1 1/4 cup white wine
1/2 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp orange juice
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Fill a large pot about half way with water and bring that water to a rolling boil.  Place the beets into the steamer basket and put a lid on the pot, letting the beets steam for about 20 minutes.  When the 20 minutes has passed remove the beets to a cutting board and let them cool until you can handle them comfortably.  Then place each beet inside a clean kitchen towel and rub the beet until the outer skin comes off.  Cut the beets into quarters, toss them in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and orange juice and roast at 425 for about 30 minutes (until the are fork tender).

While the beets are roasting, bring the chicken stock to a simmer in the pot you used to steam the beets (no sense in dirtying another pot).  While the chicken stock is coming up to temperature, put the olive oil large shallow pan over medium heat. finely chop the onion and cook it in the olive oil until softened (about 5 minutes).  Add the butter, the minced garlic, and the barley to the onion, cooking the barely for about 3 minutes allowing it toast slightly.

When the barley is lightly toasted add in one cup of wine.  After the wine has reduced ladle enough stock into the pan to just cover the barley. Stir occasionally, adding more stock once the stock in the pan has been nearly absorbed.  (When you pull the spoon through the barley the liquid should be slow to fill in the open space.) Continue this process for about 30 - 40 minutes or until the barley has softened. At this point add the Parmesan, the last 1/4 cup of wine, 1/2 tbsp of butter, the thyme stirring to mix everything together. Immediately cover the pan and let the risotto sit for 2 minutes to absorb the remaining liquid. Serve with the beets on top of the risotto and garnished with a few thyme leaves.  Bon Appetit!

Serves 4

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