Ottolenghi’s risotto

Barley risotto with aubergine & marinated feta. Great meal to batch prep and freeze. Serve with some green veg or on it's own.

Ottolenghi’s risotto Photo

Ingredients -

1

bay leaves

400

g chopped tomatoes

200

g pearl barley

1

whole aubergine (
4cm dice / roughly chop
)

300

g feta (
roughly broken into 2cm pieces
)

1.5

tbsp caraway seeds (
toasted
)

2

small sticks celery (
5mm dice
)

0.5

tsp paprika

4

strips lemon rind

4

cloves garlic (
2mm dice
)

4

sprigs thyme

90

ml olive oil

0.25

tsp chilli flakes

30

g unsalted butter

700

ml stock (
vegetable
)

2

small shallots (
5mm dice
)

300

ml passata

1

tbsp fresh oregano (
leaves
)

Instructions

1

Rinse the pearl barley a few times in water and leave to drain. Chop up the aubergine and lightly salt, put aside for 10 minutes or so.

2

Cook the shallots, garlic & celery on a gentle heat in the butter and half the olive oil for 5 minutes or until soft. Turn the oven on.

3

Add the pearl barley, thyme, paprika, chilli flakes, bay leaf, lemon rind, chopped tomatoes, stock, passata & salt. Bring to a boil, stir well and leave to simmer for 45 minutes. The pearl barley should be tender and most of the liquid absorbed. Stir frequently to avoid sticking.

4

Meanwhile, roast the aubergine in olive oil and 0.5 tbsp caraway seeds for 40 minutes or until cooked.

5

Meanwhile, toast the remaining 1 tbsp caraway seeds in a dry pan. Lightly crush the caraway seeds so many whole seeds still remain. Combine the feta with olive oil and the toasted caraway seeds.

6

Once the risotto is ready, stir through the aubergine & check the seasoning. Separate into portions & serve with the marinated feta mix on top and add some of the fresh oregano leaves.