The BARLEY RISOTTO WITH PUMPKIN AND SPECK is a delightful first course for the cold season, rich in flavour and aromas, perfect as a main dish for a dinner with friends who love good food. It’s a simple dish with a rustic taste that can be prepared without much effort, yet it really rewards you, meeting the expectations of even the most refined palates.
The dish is based on a very particular balance between tastes and textures: the sweetness of the pumpkin contrasts with the savouriness of the speck, while its creaminess, enhanced by Parmesan, clashes with the firmness of the pearled barley, with its enjoyable chewiness. In addition, I assure you, the smoky aroma of the prized South Tyrolean cured meat and the scent of rosemary complete the dish wonderfully. The orzotto is prepared like a classic traditional risotto and, precisely for this reason, does not require particular attention, except for slightly longer cooking times to achieve a perfect result.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups pearled barley (about 14 oz) pearled barley
- 4 1/3 cups diced pumpkin (about 17.6 oz) pumpkin
- 6 1/3 cups vegetable broth (hot) vegetable broth
- 1 onion
- 1 cup diced speck (about 5.3 oz)
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1/2 cup (grated) Parmesan
- to taste salt
- to taste water
TO PREPARE THE BARLEY RISOTTO WITH PUMPKIN AND SPECK YOU’LL NEED
- 2 Pots
- 1 Large pan
- 1 Immersion blender
Steps
Clean the onion and place half of it in a pot together with a sprig of rosemary and a drizzle of oil. Sauté over low heat for a minute, then add the cleaned pumpkin cut into cubes.
Season with salt, cover with water and let cook for 20 minutes. When it becomes soft, blend it with an immersion blender until you obtain a smooth cream.
In a wide pan put a drizzle of oil, the remaining onion finely chopped and the speck cut into cubes. Sauté over low heat for 5 minutes, then add the barley and toast it. Deglaze with the boiling vegetable broth and, just as you would with a risotto, add more liquid when the previous one has been completely absorbed.
Cook, stirring from time to time, for about 25 minutes.
When there are about 5 minutes left to finish cooking the orzotto, add the pumpkin cream and let it reduce until creamy.
With the heat off add the Parmesan and cream the barley risotto with pumpkin and speck. Let it rest for 1 minute, then plate and enjoy its creamy goodness.
