Vegetables
Pearl Barley Risotto with Mushrooms
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ onion, or 1 leek (white part only), finely diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, pulled from stalk
300g pearl barley
1 L hot vegetable stock
40g parmesan or vegetarian alternative plus extra to serve
Sautéed mushrooms
500g mixed mushrooms, cleaned of all dirt and debris, and roughly chopped. I chose golden and trumpet chanterelles, and oyster mushrooms, but any type work.
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed, plus a few for garnish
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
Method
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan. Fry the onion or leek for 6-7 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and thyme and fry for a further 5 minutes. Add the pearl barley and stir for a minute.
Add the hot stock and cook over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until nearly all of the broth has been absorbed. *You don't want to boil the mixture too vigorously, but you do want a consistent simmer. Adjust heat to that point. Continue adding ladles of stock one a time, allowing to cook until the liquid is absorbed before adding another. Cook until all the stock is added. Test the barley. You want it to be al dente. If it is not quite there, add another ladle of hot water and cook a bit longer.
After 20 minutes, prepare the mushrooms. In a large fry pan, add olive oil, then mushrooms. Stir to coat and let them cook over high heat, without stirring for at least three or four minutes. Flip and repeat until golden on all sides. Add a splash more olive oil, then add garlic and thyme leaves and to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar, if desired.
To finish, take pan off the heat and add parmesan. Season, then serve with mushrooms and extra parmesan grated over the top.
Chefs's notes
Barley
I am a huge fan of barley as its a particularly healthy choice being full of fibre, a great fuel so it’s a great comfort food. Whether it's in a soup, salad, or cooked up risotto style, barley is always a great choice. This dish cooks up the barley risotto-style with vegetable stock, garlic, mushrooms and a touch of parmesan. Enjoy this as a vegetarian main or cook up a batch with beef stock to add a depth of flavour and richness.
I prefer to start with a low or no sodium vegetable or beef stock and add salt to the dish myself as I cook it. I find it much easier to control the saltiness of the finished dish that way.
Nutritional benefits
Barley is low is mostly unsaturated fat and is high in carbohydrate (mainly starch). It has a moderate amount of protein content (10%) and contains a protein complex which forms gluten (although a smaller amount than wheat).
Barley is high in soluble fibre, specifically beta-glucan and has a low glycemic index (GI) to assist blood glucose control. It is high in potassium and low in sodium and contains good amounts of B-group vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), folate, pantothenic acid as well as vitamins E and minerals iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus and selenium (depending on the soil content of selenium). Barley also contains small amounts of copper, manganese, calcium and phytochemicals including lignans, phenolic acids, phytic acid, plant sterols and saponins.
Cauliflower and Tofu Soup with Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Herb Oil
Serves 4
Ingredients
· 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
· 1 leek, sliced
· 2 cloves garlic, sliced
· 1 average size cauliflower
· 2 L of vegetable stock
· 600 g silken tofu [see note]
· Salt and pepper to taste
Roasted Brussel sprouts and Cauliflower
· 200g cauliflower florets
· 200g Brussel sprouts
· 4 Tbsp of olive oil
Herb oil
· ½ bunch of continental parsley
· ½ bunch oregano
· ½ bunch marjoram
· ½ bunch chives
· 60 ml of extra virgin olive oil
· 1 lemon, zested and juiced
· Salt and pepper to taste
Method
To make the soup, heat the 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat and add cauliflower florets. Sauté cauliflower until they get golden in colour then set aside.
Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil then add the leek, onion and garlic, cook, stirring, for 5 - 7 minutes or until soft. Add the cauliflower back into the saucepan with stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Add the tofu, salt, pepper and using a hand-held stick blender, blend until smooth.
Too make the roasted cauliflower and Brussel sprouts, heat oven to 180oC (350oF), line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper and lay the vegetables on the paper. Drizzle with oil, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes until they are cooked and golden brown.
To make herb oil, place parsley, oregano, marjoram, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper in a small food processor and process until finely chopped. Set aside.
Serve soup in big bowls with roasted vegetables and herb oil.
Chef’s Notes
Tofu
Tofu is a food made from condensed soy milk that is pressed into solid white blocks in a process quite similar to cheesemaking. It’s sold as silken, soft, firm and extra firm as well as being sold pre-flavoured. Silken tofu has less fat and calories than firm, so my tips for using tofu are below:
Silken tofu
Use in place of cream in sauces
Substitute for mayonnaise or sour cream in salad dressing or dip
Use for tart filling, custard or cheesecake
Soft tofu is firmer than silken
Substitute it for soft cheeses in recipes such as lasagne
Use to make breakfast shakes
Puree with fruits and vegetables
Firm and extra-firm tofu will hold texture and shape
Marinate in BBQ sauce and grill for burger filling
Use in place of meat or chicken in stir fry dishes, or fajita dishes
I would always choose to use organic tofu over generic brands as most tofu is genetically modified. I always advocate using the least processed of ingredients.
Nutritional benefits
Tofu is high in protein and contains all of the essential amino acids and omega 3 your body needs. It’s an excellent food for vegetarians and vegans. Tofu provides fats, carbs, and a wide variety of vitamins including B1 and minerals iron, calcium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, potassium, magnesium, copper, zinc.
One of tofu’s most important nutritional benefits is that it contains natural plant compounds called isoflavones and these function as phytoestrogens, meaning that they can attach to and activate estrogen receptors in your body.
This produces effects similar to the hormone estrogen, although they are weaker, so are beneficial for women going through peri and menopausal, as well as people with cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and osteoporosis.
Ginger Rice with Quinoa
Serves 4
Gluten Free, Vegan
Ingredients
1½ cups [335 g] brown rice
½ cup quinoa
30 g ginger (preferably young ginger)
2 cups water
Seasonings
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp sake
1 Tbsp mirin
¼ tsp salt
Instructions
1. Rinse the rice and drain well.
2. Peel the ginger and cut it into julienned pieces
3. Mix all the ingredients for the seasonings in a 2- cup measuring cup. Add water to the seasonings so that the liquid totals 2 cups.
4. Place drained rice and quinoa into a medium saucepan with a lid . Pour the liquid into saucepan and mix well.
5. Place the lid on the saucepan and bring rice and quinoa to a boil over medium heat. lift the lid to to take a quick peek to see if water is boiling (otherwise do not open the lid).
6. Once water is boiling, turn the heat to low and cook covered for 13-18 minutes, or until the water is completely absorbed (take a quick peek!). If you see there is water left, close the lid and continue cooking for a little longer.
7. Remove saucepan (with the lid on) from the heat source and let it steam for another 10 minutes.
Chef’s Notes
Rice
There are more than 40,000 thousands varieties of cultivated rice, but depending on how producers process them, they fit into two groups: white or brown (whole grain).
White rice is the most common type, though brown rice offers more health benefits. Brown rice comes in a variety of shades, including reddish, purplish or black.
Nutritional Benefits
White and brown rice have similar calorie, carbohydrate, protein, and fat content.
Rice is primarily composed of carbohydrate and starch - the most common form of carbohydrate in foods.
The starches found in rice varieties have different compounds, which affects the texture of the rice and digestion, as well as digestion rates.
Basmati rice does not stick together after cooking, so its has a lower GI ranking and is slower to digest which is ideal for those people with diabetes.
Sticky rice, or glutinous rice is ideal for risottos, rice pudding, and eating with chopsticks. It is faster to digest so has a higher GI ranking that can lead to unhealthy spikes in blood sugar levels, especially in people with diabetes.
Brown rice is better for people with diabetes as it has a medium GI score making it more suitable than white rice - which has a high GI score. this helps with blood sugar control.
GI- The glycemic index is a scale that ranks the number of carbohydrates in foods from 1 to 100, indicating how quickly a food causes a person’s blood sugar to rise.
Brown rice contains a higher amount of dietary fibre than white rice. During the processing of white rice, the grain loses the bran or seed coat, which contains most of the fibre. The bran contains mainly insoluble fibres, such as hemicellulose, and virtually no soluble fibre.
White and brown rice contain varying amounts of a soluble fibre called resistant starch which increases butyrate in the gut. Butyrate boosts gut health by reducing inflammation improving gut barrier function, and reducing the risk of colon cancer.
Brown rice has higher levels of Manganese, Vitamins B1, B3, selenium and magnesium. The bran of brown rice may be a good source of lignans and ferulic acid that are antioxidants
Current concerns on rice consumption
Heavy metals - can accumulate in the body over time, leading to adverse health effects. These include cadmium, chromium, lead, nickel, and arsenic.
Recent studies have reported excessive amounts of heavy metals in rice from several countries. The bran component in brown rice contains a high concentration of heavy metals. Washing and soaking your rice prior to cooking can reduce arsenic.
Make sure to diversify your diet by eating many different grains such quinoa, buckwheat (not from the wheat family and GF]), millet and barley. Your diet should never be dominated by one type of food.
Antinutrients - Brown rice also contains an antioxidant called phytic acid, or phytate that prevents the body from absorbing essential minerals, such as iron and zinc. You can reduce phytic acid levels by soaking and sprouting the seeds and fermenting the rice before cooking.