90In medium saucepan over
medium heat, add barley, stirring
constantly, and let it colour and
blister ever so slightly, about 5
to 10 minutes. This step adds a
lovely toasty depth of flavour to
the final dish.
Add oil, fresh mushrooms,
pepper and sherry, stirring often
for about 5 minutes.
Add 5 cups of stock, stir to
incorporate, and continue to stir
often until this liquid has been
absorbed by the barley, then
start adding remaining stock
1/2 cup at a time, stirring
constantly and adding the next
1/2 cup of stock only after the
one before has been absorbed.
Do this until all the stock is used
and the barley is soft and creamy
but al dente—this could take up
to 40 minutes.Stir in cheese until incorporated,
then add butter, stirring until
melted and incorporated, and
serve immediately with more
Parmesan grated overtop at
the table.
Tidbit: Did you know that
leftover risotto is the basis for
arancini, those scrumptious
fried rice balls in tomato sauce?
Any leftovers of this recipe will
also work. HFOOD & RECIPES: H E R ITAGE POULT RY
She’s a Tough
Old Bird...
...but she’s tasty. Traditionally, and
on small farms to this day, when
egg-laying hens stop laying, they
are butchered and used to make
soups and stews. And they do
make the best soups and stews:
having been around the pasture once or twice, they are tough
but flavourful. We’ve seen them for sale at farmers’ markets
labelled “stewing hen” or “soup chicken.” Do not try to roast these
birds, as they’ll become as chewy as a snow tire. But braised low
and slow in plenty of tasty liquid, well, without tough old birds
and aggressive roosters, we wouldn’t have stewed chicken and
dumplings, chicken soup, chicken cacciatore or coq au vin.TIP For extra tenderness, some folks swear by aging a freshly
butchered old bird for up to four days (ask the farmer when it
was slaughtered).