I liked the flavor but the second time I changed a few things. I melted 3tsp of butter and added the barley stirring until it turned a nut brown color then added onions and the mushrooms for 5 min and then used beef broth instead. Nice flavor.
Awesome recipe and compatible with Weight Watchers (4 points) especially if you cut the fat. I suggest parching the barley in olive oil and sauteeing the mushrooms in a pan coated with cooking spray. Keep the chicken stock hot to avoid change in temperature of the risotto. Ensures creaminess and more timely cooking.
My boyfriend and I really liked this. I used some of the reviewers recomendations and cooked the barly in butter a lottle befor adding the stock and i kept the stoch warm. I also added extra mushrooms and used dried tyme and skipped the bay leaf as i didn'r have one. Well I sort-of changed everything except for the barly/stock part. Anyway it was really good and I will refer to this recipe often barly is a super whole grain!
This was decent. I was hoping the barley would make it something interesting or special but I was disappointed. I've made risotto multiple times with practically the same ingredients and recipe just (arborio) rice instead of barley and cooking the mushrooms with the rice for most of the simmering time and that turns out much better. Rice exudes a better flavor than the barley. So if you're considering taking the time to make a risotto I'd suggest you do a real one: with rice not barley!
I gave this recipes 4 stars because I doctored it a bit, partly based on previous reviews. I sauteed the onions in butter and olive oil and then added the dry barley and sauteed until the barley browned slightly, then added the mushrooms, thyme (about 1.5 tsp) and garlic. I omitted the bay leaf. I used 4 cups of nonfat, low sodium chicken broth, with one cup of water. Otherwise, I followed the recipe and it did come out surprishingly creamy, like risotto. Today while heating some of the leftover, I added a little milk and cheese and it was DELICIOUS. I'd recommend about 1/4 to 1/3 cup each romano, cheddar, and whole milk to the full recipe if you want to make it cheesey. The stronger the cheese the less you need to use to add a little kick. This is a keeper!
I really like this recipe. I found it to be very flavorful. The only changes I made were minimal and that was to not put in the bay leaf as I don't care for it. Otherwise a very good recipe.
I really like this recipe. I also add a little white wine to the barley before the chicken broth to give it a little extra flavor--more authentic to real risotto.
Love it! I might never make risotto with rice again! the barley gives it a wonderful nutty and chewy texture. I use creminis for the mushrooms. Instant family favorite!
This was good. I thought the barley was a little chewy but I think I may have had too little broth by the time I got it all added in. I made it while I cooked the rest of my meal so I wasn't just standing around cooking barley. I'll probably fix it again but I'll play with it a bit to add flavor.
