Barley Risotto with Mushrooms & Spinach

Growing up I always identified barley with sickness. You have barley soup when you are sick, that is the way I have always known the grain until I came across Dorie's Vegetable Barley Soup with taste of  Little India. It was a revelation. Who knew root vegetables, garam masala and barley could team up so well to create such a hearty bowl of soup !  So I realized that barley could be interesting... even tasty provided the recipe is good.. But barley risotto ??? That seemed like a completely different story. I wasn't too sure how it would be until I sampled some on Sunday. And frankly speaking was taken by surprise at how good it turned out ! 

Okay. Barley is one of the healthiest grains in the world... but that is not why I thought of cooking it risotto-style. It was the photograph of  Toasted Barley Risotto with Spinach and Herb puree in the April Issue of  Bon Appetit that attarcted me... and the fact that "Barley Risotto" sounded weird and healthful at the same time... I spotted the recipe while flipping through the latest magazines and soon enough was on my feet cooking my version of barley risotto with mushrooms and spinach....

Vegetable Barley Soup with the Taste of Little India # French Fridays with Dorie

The flavors of this week's assignment for French Fridays with Dorie  weren't foreign to me. Garam Masala, turmeric and ginger are pantry staples in every North Indian household and it was good to be in familiar domains for a change.

This soup was quite simple to prepare. All we had to do was to saute some onions, garlic and ginger in one tablespoon of  olive oil, cover and cook chopped carrots and parsnips in it, then stir in the barley, add chicken broth or water, season with salt and red pepper and simmer the soup until the barley was completely cooked. From start to finish it took me about an hour to cook the soup. 

Considering that the grain in the soup was barley, I was a bit apprehensive about my husbands reaction towards it. He however did not seem to mind it at all. He simply added a dollop of yogurt to his bowl and quickly finished it. Seeing him I too added some yogurt to my bowl and later felt like it was the missing piece from the recipe. The yogurt helped in balancing out the heat from the ginger and garam masala and also added some tanginess to it. Overall we liked the Vegetable Barley Soup and I will probably make it again. 

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about the Soup. You can find the original recipe here For more such delicious recipes order your copies of Around my French Table and join the Doristas in this tasty adventure.

I shall be sharing this recipe at all these parties.