Carrot, Cumin and Barley Risotto
Ingredients:
6 Carrots
500ml Carrot Juice
Large pinch of Sea Salt
1 tsp Ground Cumin
2 tbsp Rapeseed Oil
80g Onion
2 Jalapeño
150g Pearl Barley
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 Corn Cob
4 Rainbow Chard
3 Spring Onions
10g Fresh Coriander
Juice of ½ Lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
Peel the carrots and slice in halve lengthways then cut into 1cm slices at an angle.
In a large saucepan over a medium heat, bring the carrot juice along with a 100ml of water to the boil, then add the salt and cumin.
Add the carrots and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat, remove the carrots and reserve the cooking liquor.
Peel and you finely dice the onion. Deseed and finely dice the Jalapeño
In medium pan over a medium heat, heat the oil and gently fry the onions and chillies for 5 minutes, covered with a lid, until softened.
Stir in the barley and cumin and continue to fry for a minute.
Add 500ml of the carrot cooking liquor to the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover with the lid and cook for 50–55 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the barley swells and is firm with a good bite. Check the texture, taste and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes more, if necessary.
Bring a medium pan of water to the boil, add the corn cob and cover with lid. Cook through for 20 minutes,
Slice the chard leaves away from the stems. Roll the leaves and finely chop. Slice the stems into 3cm pieces.
Finely slice the spring onions and coriander.
Drain the corn cob and using a long knife, carefully cut the kernels off the corn cob by running a knife along the central core. Keep 4 of the biggest lengths intact to use as garnish. Set these aside then release the kernels from the rest.
Add the chard stems and leaves, spring onions and loose corn kernels to the barley pan and stir. Place the pan back on a medium heat and cook for 12 minutes.
Add the coriander and cook for a further minute until wilted. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required, then add the lemon juice to sharpen the flavour.
In a frying pan over a medium heat, fry the cooked carrot pieces in the rapeseed oil for 6–7 minutes, until caramelised. Add the reserved pieces of sliced corn to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, or until they begin to brown.
Add the caramelised carrots to the barley risotto.
Serve topping with the lengths of sliced corn and a sprinkle of fresh coriander.
Enjoy!
