Kale & Mushroom Baked Barley Risotto

I planned to tell you about this baked barley risotto in November. Actually, if we’re being honest, I planned to write about it, from the moment I decided to start this blog. While many recipes are one hit wonders in our house, we’ve been making a version of this one, a couple times a year, since before Easton was born (in fact, I have a very clear memory of caramelizing the onions, right before going to my mom’s house to tell her we were pregnant).

When Easton began transitioning from eating purees to real foods with real textures, a variation of this recipe was one of the first things I made her. And, my sister’s daughter, who just turned 22-months has probably eaten her weight’s worth of this baked barley risotto as well. We’ve made it with butternut squash, as the original recipe calls for; I’ve made it with a million carrots and baby spinach, chopped finely for easy baby eating; I’ve made it with just peas and extra garlic. And, we’ve made this version, with mushrooms and kale, a lot.

I will admit something to you, right off the bat. While the original version is time saving (baked barley risotto is way faster than stirred), this mushroom and kale version is the most time consuming, because you’re dealing with each ingredient to truly develop their flavors. (What can I say? I like to show my cards early on.) But, like most recipes that come out of our kitchen, it can be prepped ahead of time and the entire thing can be baked a few days ahead, reheated as needed. It also can be frozen (in adult portions, or in baby ice cube portions) for easy meals.

Reeve hasn’t tried it yet because, truthfully, I made this one in November for Easton, Larry and I. At the time, Reeve’s list of foods eaten read something like: avocado, squash, zucchini, sweet potato and pumpkin. But, I made it on November 8. And a couple things happened on November 8:

-We started the day off at the polls – me, Easton and Reeve. I prepped the ingredients, later that morning, while Reeve napped, half keeping an eye on the news. I was annoyed because instead of two bunches of the lacinato kale that I had asked for on the shopping list, I ended up with a bag of greens. I know that I sound ungrateful when someone else shopped for me (my husband), but I can’t stand those. They’re chopped, yes. But the stem is still there. I really think that going through chopped kale, piece by piece, to remove the inner stem is a near equal time investment to starting with a whole bunch, in which you need to remove the stems, and then wash and cut the leaves.

-Later, during her afternoon nap, I began to cook. I started to take pictures, but it was November and by 3:30pm, there was already a dark cast in the dining room. It was cold, but after each step, I ran the ingredients outside to take pictures. I had spent months wondering if my neighbors, who we rarely talk to, were watching me take pictures (in my pajamas, standing on chairs, next to the windowsill, on our walkway, balancing a spatula in one hand and a camera in the other). And, at 4:15, when the light was on its way out for the night, one of them decided that he had to ask. He talked to me about his job. He asked me if I was one of those Instagram Food wannabes (his words), or if he was going to see all of this food on some sort of a cooking show. I stood there talking to him, in socks, with the finished risotto on a trivet, on the sidewalk, watching the sun disappear, finally learning his name after six years of living next door.

-I took a few halfhearted pictures – something I’m regretting, today. I left to go to Easton’s parent-teacher conference, realizing that I would just have to take a finished picture in the morning. That night, after Easton took her second trip to the polls, this time with Larry, she ate a bowl by herself and Larry and I ate later, sitting on the couch, in front of the TV.

-The next day, there were too many other things going on to focus on picture taking. It didn’t feel like the time. Our focus had shifted. We ate the leftovers, of course, but pictures were not the priority.*

-So, I forgot about it – the baked barley risotto, the intentions, the one time, dusky conversation with our neighbor.

But, Reeve is eating more and more interesting food and of course, we are going to make her a batch soon. And, that’s when I remembered: the risotto. I never did get that final picture, or a picture outside that I love. But, I made it, and I wrote down the recipe.

Whether you choose to keep it simple, sweeter and closer to the original or veer off into the savory, more prep-heavy version, know this: once you get the pot in the oven, you can mostly leave it alone. Wash the dishes, set the table, do your work and let it be. When it’s almost done, you’ll stir in the kale, feta, a bit of butter, and, I really think you should add a bit of grated pecorino romano, too. Put the lid on, let it finish cooking and stir to bring it all together. It’s creamy from the butter and cheese, but toothsome from the barley and just wilted kale. It’s very winter-hearty (mushrooms and kale will do that to a dish), but the sherry and feta brighten it up. It’s the kind of thing that makes it so easy to be a fan of winter cooking, and winter comfort, which is something we can all use right now.

I think I’ve talked myself into making a Reeve her first risotto. I’ll skip the sherry (I’ll probably use a bit more broth), and go light on the salt. I don’t say this often, but I know she’s going to love it.

*Not a lot of discussion about this, purposely, because you’re here to read about food and our life with kids, right?