Lately I’ve been a little tired of Moroccan food. It’s delicious and all, but sometimes I just want a simple meal, without the heavy cumin and coriander spices. Part of me is just a little homesick, and when I’m homesick, I crave comfort foods—like mac and cheese!
Good cheddar cheese is hard to find in Rabat and it’s pretty pricey, so I always feel a little bad melting it all down for a mac n’ cheese. In an effort to satisfy my creamy, carb-y, craving, I decided that a good risotto would probably do the trick. My risotto recipe is pretty conventional, Arborio rice, white wine, and tangy, shredded hard cheese.
Then, as I looked in the pantry, no Arborio rice. Darn. Don’t you hate that feeling? The instant flash of memory of the last time you used (and finished!) that pantry staple you are now reaching for? Grrr. Ok, so no Arborio rice. What can I substitute? My options were brown jasmine rice or barley. Pearl barley. “It could work.” I think to myself. Then I remembered this beautiful recipe for Barley Risotto with Spinach and Mushrooms from Well Plated. I made a few modifications to Erin’s recipe, since I like to keep the mushrooms in the risotto to give it a deeper earthiness and flavor.
Turns out, Arborio rice wasn’t the only risotto staple I was missing that day. Apparently, we’d served our last bottle of white wine to dinner guests as well. So, no better time than desperation to make a few substitutions, red wine it is! Et viola! A new recipe is created!
Since the barley is heavier and nuttier than rice, the red wine holds up very well to it. This turned out to be a hearty weekday dinner balanced with a quick side of garlicky sautéed spinach. So there. Running out of pantry staples isn’t going to sideline our dinner at home. In fact, we liked this one so much, it just might make a regular appearance in our weekday supper rotation!
- For the barley risotto:
- 4-5 cups vegetable or chicken stock (broth works too)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup sliced button mushrooms
- 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
- ⅓ cup red wine
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- For the garlicky spinach:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 package (10-16 oz) fresh spinach leaves, rinsed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- For the barley risotto:
In a medium sized pot, bring the stock or broth to a boil, then cover and remove from heat. - In the meantime, in a large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven, heat the butter and oil over medium-low heat.
- Add the onions and mushrooms, and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent and the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, barley, and salt, then toss to evenly coat the barley and give it a light toasting in the pot, about 15-20 seconds is enough.
- Add the wine, and deglaze the pot as needed.
- Once the wine has reduced to a thick glaze, add two cups of the stock and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, stirring frequently until the stock is absorbed.
- Continue to add the stock ½ cup at a time, and stirring frequently. Make sure the stock is absorbed before adding more, and continue this process until the barley is tender and creamy, about 25 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, allowing it to melt and integrate into the risotto.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
For the garlicky spinach: - In a medium sauté pan or skillet, heat oil over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, but not browning, about 15 seconds.
- Add the spinach, salt, and pepper and sauté. This might be a little unwieldy at first, but the spinach wilts pretty quickly. I like to use tongs to lift and mix the spinach in the pan.
- As soon as all of the spinach is wilted, turn off the heat and serve immediately.
Eating in is easy! Check out the weekly line up of #WeekdaySupper recipes to help plan your weekly menus. Most of the weekday supper recipes can be made in just 30 minutes with normal pantry items.
Here is this week’s line-up:
Monday – Greek Shrimp and Spinach Pasta by Recipes Food and Cooking
Tuesday – Scallops with Wilted Spinach and Arugula by MealDiva
Wednesday – Rice and Beans with Guacamole by Feed Me, Seymour
Thursday – Barley Risotto with Garlicky Spinach by eating in instead (yours truly!)
Friday – Green Eggs and Ham by Sew You Think You Can Cook
If you’re looking for more quick and easy Weekday Supper recipes, check the current Weekday Supper Menu, or drop by the Weekday Supper Pinterest board for more ideas!
I'm a food lover, travel addict, career counselor, professor, and lawyer living in Tunisia (and sometimes Washington, DC). 
A simply mouthwatering recipe!
Thank you Jen!
Wow,Ethel.Love your profile and this risotto dinner.Will try it.I’m a novice but looking for
change-up ideas for all meals to help us to eat in also.We need a change from
the “OLD” standbys. Thanks for your continued help in this matter.
Hi Denny, I love putting new twists on classics. It keeps cooking and eating in interesting!
Dear Ethel I love your recipes this one looks lovely but where is it ?
Thanks Laila! The recipe appears right after the last picture before the paragraph “Eating in is easy!” Are you having trouble seeing it? It is appearing on my end, but I can email you a copy of the recipe if you’d like.