The Tri-grain with broad bean cream and caramelized onion is a flavorful first course, very quick to prepare, I assure you the balance of flavors is really perfect. In this version, I added cooked ham and butter, but you can omit them to make it vegetarian. I used bouillon cube for the broth because it’s faster, but if you prefer, you can make your own vegetable or meat broth.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 4/5 servings
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 bouillon cube (vegetable or beef bouillon, 1 oz)
- 2 cups onion
- 1/4 lb butter
- 11.25 oz rice (barley and spelt, tri-grain)
- 8.8 oz frozen broad beans
- 3.5 oz frozen peas
- to taste coarse salt
- 2 tbsps sugar
- 2 tbsps water
- 10.5 oz cooked ham
Steps
Prepare the broth by heating a quart of water in a saucepan and adding the bouillon cube (vegetable or beef). If you prefer, you can make your own meat or vegetable broth.
Clean the onion, chop 2 oz finely. In a wok, place 1 oz of butter (omit in the vegan version, adding a bit of margarine instead), let it melt, add the onion, and let it brown. Now add the tri-grain and start to toast it. As it dries, keep adding broth, stirring, and continue cooking.
Meanwhile, defrost the broad beans in lukewarm water, peel them following the pictures, and place them in a container.
In a saucepan, put a bit of water and as soon as it boils, add the coarse salt, broad beans, and peas. Cook for about 15/20 minutes until they are soft.
Now drain the broad beans and peas with a colander, keeping the cooking water aside, also set aside a few broad beans and peas for garnishing the dish. Use an immersion blender to make them into a puree, adding a bit of cooking water to make it smoother and more homogeneous.
When it’s about halfway through cooking, add the broad bean and pea puree to the rice, barley, and spelt. Mix well.
Dice the cooked ham (omit this step for the vegetarian version) and add it to the rice, stir and continue cooking, adding broth as it dries.
Meanwhile, prepare the caramelized onion by slicing the remaining 7 oz of onion, placing it in a pan, and adding two tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of water. Let it cook and caramelize. Set aside.
Once cooked, plate the tri-grain, decorate with the reserved broad beans and peas, and top with a bit of caramelized onion.
Tips and Advice
For speed, I used a broth prepared with beef bouillon, but if you want, you can use meat broth.
For the vegetarian version, omit the cooked ham, butter, and prepare a vegetable broth.
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