Orzotto
Orzotto is one of those recipes we keep coming back to again and again. It's got all the comfort of a classic risotto but made with pearl barley, which gives it this gorgeous chewy, nutty texture that we absolutely love. The sage and thyme make the whole kitchen smell incredible while it's cooking, and the finished dish is creamy, hearty and just deeply satisfying. Honestly, if you've never tried making orzotto before, tonight is the night.
Before You Start
- Large saucepan
- Microplane or fine grater
- Baking tray
- Grill pan or grill
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp plant-based cream cheese
- 1 tbsp Nooch
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic clove
- 100g pearl barley
- 1 ½ vegetable stock cube - & 800ml boiling water
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 1
- 75g cavolo nero
- 60g green beans
- 60g frozen peas
- 4 large asparagus spears
- 50g plant-based cheddar
- 40g hazelnuts
- Salt & pepper to taste
Method
Prepare the barley ingredients
- Peel, trim and finely chop the onion
- Peel and grate the garlic clove
- Prepare the stock
Prepare to cook the barley
- Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the onion, a pinch of salt and stir 3-4 minutes
- Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute
- Add the barley to the pan and stir for 1 minute
- Add the sage, thyme and stock to the pan, turn up the heat, so the liquid is simmering and leave the barley to cook for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring to make sure the grains don’t catch
Prepare the fresh ingredients
- Remove the cavolo nero stalks and finely chop the leaves
- Trim and cut the green beans into 1 inch pieces
- Cut the woody ends off the asparagus and cut the spears, at an angle into 2 inch pieces
Back to the barley
- Carefully remove the thyme and sage from the saucepan | Add the soft cheese and nutritional yeast to the pan and fold to combine for 1 minute
- Add the cavolo nero to the pan and fold it into the barley for 1 minute
- Add the beans and peas to the pan and gently stir for 1-2 minutes
- Set the orzotto to one side
Cook and prepare the remaining ingredients and serve
- Grate the vegan cheddar
- Place the asparagus on a baking tray, drizzle over some olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill for 2 minutes
- Add the hazelnuts to the tray and grill for two more minutes
- Grate the lemon zest over the asparagus
- Taste the orzotto and season to perfection with salt and pepper
- Spoon the orzotto into serving bowls, sprinkle over the cheese, dress in the asparagus, garnish with hazelnuts and serve immediately
Tips & Variations
- Get your stock warm: We find this works really well if your stock is hot when it goes in. Cold stock slows everything down and can make the barley cook unevenly, so keep it warm in a separate pan or jug while you get going.
- Make it extra creamy: Henry always stirs in a good knob of vegan butter right at the end, just before serving. It makes it incredibly silky and rich. Trust us on this one.
- Swap the herbs: If you don't have sage or thyme, rosemary works brilliantly here. Just use it a little more sparingly as it's more intense.
Why This Works
The trick here is treating the barley exactly like you would risotto rice. Toasting it in the pan for that first minute before adding the stock is key, it brings out a nuttiness that makes the whole dish feel really special. The herbs go in early so their flavour has time to work into every grain, and that's what gives this its real depth.