Fall Spinach Barley Risotto (Orzotto con Spinaci) is the perfect dish for this time of year! The luxuriousness and creaminess of a risotto done with barley giving it a healthy and nutty edge. I know what I want for dinner, do you?

Song of the day: Autumn Serenade - John Coltrane, Johnny Hartman

Barley is not only for soups!

I always thought of barley only to exist in soups. However, that is not the case and today we are going to show you how to do a risotto using barley. Nicoletta and I have done one other barley risotto, with peas. Today it is Fall Spinach Barley Risotto (orzotto con spinaci).

Fall Spinach Barley Risotto with only a few ingredients!

This barley risotto is so simple, all you need is:

barley
vegetable broth
spinach
e.v.o. oil
butter
garlic
purple onion
dried red chilis
Parmigiano Reggiano

Getting started on our Fall Spinach Barley Risotto (orzotto con spinaci)

The key to any good risotto is building flavor. How do you do that, you ask? Well this is how we do it:

Firstly we want to sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a nice cast pot or deep sauté pan. Once the onions have softened and the garlic is sizzling, time to add in the barley which is washed and drained.
Secondly, once the barley is toasted, you want to add the white wine. A good stir is needed and when the wine has almost evaporated we start the process of adding the vegetable broth which is on the stove keeping warm.
Thirdly, add two good ladles of broth, as when that dissipates, and it sounds like the barley is sizzling, time to add another ladle of broth. More so, stir, stir stir. We want to really get the barley to release that starch to achieve that end result of creaminess!
This process continues for about 20 minutes.

A good creamy spinach note!

We decided to puree some of the spinach which we chopped and shredded. I did it in a small food processor, and pulsed it with some olive oil until velvety. Time to build flavor:

So we have been adding broth and stirring for some time. Next, we want to add that spinach puree and stir until a lovely consistent hue of green happens throughout the barley.
Again we add broth and continue the risotto process for some more time and then we add the raw shredded spinach and guess what? Yes stir, lol.
Around the 40 minute mark, time to add the butter and grated Parmigiano, and a good stir.

The Risotto slap?

In Italy the chefs do this thing where they create a wave with the risotto and it slaps down. This really creates more creaminess and happens when the butter and Parmigiano are added. It is a good way to know all the ingredients have had a dance with each other.

A key step to a great Fall Spinach Barley Risotto (orzotto con spinaci)

Once you have done the wave with the risotto, time to cover and lest rest for a minute. More so, it relaxes the starch and creates the ultimate totally elevated creaminess that we want to achieve!

The barley risotto is done!

It is time to plate. In Italy you will hardly see a risotto mounded into a pile. Usually it is spooned in the plate and the chef will shimmy the plate allowing the risotto to flow over the inside of the bowl! Furthermore, risotto is best served and eaten right away! With that said, take a look. Does that not look so so tasty? A nice garnish of grated Parmigiano is all that is needed!

Love this barley risotto!

The aroma of this Fall Spinach Barley Risotto (orzotto con spinaci) is amazing. The earthiness of the spinach, additions of punchiness from the Parmigiano, and that lovely nuttiness of the barley has me so wanting to dig in and that is exactly what I am going to do.

Wow, luxurious and velvety, a nice al-dente texture in the barley, and the flavors just harmoniously move along my taste buds creating noting but fulfillment and excitement along wit a side of luxurious comfort. Just pure deliciousness in my eyes. Give this Barley Risotto a try it is a perfect dish to start the fall dinner experience Enjoy!

Whole barley or pearled barley?

To reduce the cooking time, you can substitute the whole barley with pearled barley or even quick barley.