Barley risotto is a wonderful alternative to regular risotto: it feels a bit more substantial, it's hearty and it's delicious. Of course you can vary this dish endlessly, however here we have used mushrooms and swiss chard along with some cheese. Peal barley definitely takes longer to cook than rice, however if you want to hurry up the process you could always soak the barley for a couple of hours in advance, then it won't take as long to cook. Method: Heat up the water and the boullion cubes in a pot. In a separate pot, saute the onion in 2 tablespoons of butter for about 10 minutes. At this point add the garlic and pearl barley. Sautee for a few minutes, then add the vermouth. Let simmer for a minute, then add 2 ladles of the hot boullion. Stir, and cover the pot with a lid. After about 10 minutes, come back, add more broth and continue to simmer. This process will take about 40 minutes before the barley is cooked throuh. In a separate pan saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter. Let the mushrooms brown properly, then set aside. Clean the chard, remove the stem and chop up. Grate the cheese. When the barley is cooked through, add the chard and the browned mushrooms. Let cook on the stove for about 5 minutes. At this point, add the grated cheese and some extra black pepper and serve.
| 
