Reviewed: Feb. 4, 2006

Awesome recipe and compatible with Weight Watchers (4 points) especially if you cut the fat. I suggest parching the barley in olive oil and sauteeing the mushrooms in a pan coated with cooking spray. Keep the chicken stock hot to avoid change in temperature of the risotto. Ensures creaminess and more timely cooking.

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Reviewer:

NOZ-N-A-CUK-BUK

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Feb. 27, 2008

I had used shredded carrots instead of the mushrooms as usually mushrooms make a risotto style dish more watery. The carrots, however, made it too dry, so I guess next time I'll use mushrooms. I cut down on the broth because I wanted the barley not too soft. It needs more overall flavor though. I think I'll add more salt and pepper and perhaps a bit of lemon.

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Regina's Kitchen

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Aug. 13, 2008

Excellent dish...probably my favorite barley recipe so far. Great taste and very filling. I will be making this one often!!

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Reviewer:

Linnea

Reviewed: May 22, 2003

This was easy and tasted great! A nice change from rice.

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Reviewer:

arh23

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Reviewed: Jul. 7, 2003

Yummy!! I scaled the recipie down to three servings, and I think it may have caused a problem with too little broth to add to the barley mixture and the barley didn't become as tender as it could have been. However, I cannot complain... this was delicious!! :o)

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Reviewer:

MOONCHILDV

Reviewed: Jun. 2, 2006

I thought this was wonderful! I will make it again and again. Such a nice change and great flavour!

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jhipski

Reviewed: Aug. 26, 2007

Excellent, easy and tasty. We will definitely make this again

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Reviewer:

FatDave

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Boise, Idaho, USA

Reviewed: Feb. 24, 2008

My husband, who procaims to hate barley, loved this recipe. So much so, that he asked if he could take the leftovers for his lunch the next day. I call that a winner.

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Reviewer:

Amber

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Beckley, West Virginia, USA

Living In: Rock Springs, Wyoming, USA

Reviewed: Sep. 29, 2008

This recipe was just what I was looking for to add barley (an excellent source of fiber) to my diet in something other than a soup. The small changes I made based on the other reviews were: -I used salt-free chicken stock and a vegetable bullion cube and it needed only a smidgen of salt at the end of the cooking time to finish it off. I can imagine that regular salt-added canned broth would make it way too salty. -Used fresh thyme, and a bit more than what was originally called for. -Added a generous dash of Cajun seasoning to kick up the flavor even more. -Thanks to Robin B. for the idea of adding some white wine. Just a splash really rounded out the dish and gave it more of a grown-up taste. Overall I think this will be a new regular in my menu planning, and it might even be the main course with some crusty bread and a small green salad. P.S. Regarding the complaint that this isn't a "real" risotto: quite true, but the end result is much creamier in texture than most barley recipes and it's healthier than the same dish made with rice.

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Reviewer:

Susanne_NL

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Oct. 14, 2008

Great recipe!! I don't usually like barley but I loved this dish. I did cook it longer : for approximatelly 2 hours to get a consistancy that I like .

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