Barley Risotto, Mark Peel’s Recipe is one of those wonderful dishes that looks fancy but is really just honest cooking at its finest. I love making this for my family because it’s so satisfying and warming, especially on those cooler evenings when everyone gathers around the table.
What makes this recipe so special is the combination of barley and rice, which gives you such a lovely creamy texture without being heavy. The mushrooms add an earthy richness, and the butter at the end brings everything together into pure comfort—it’s the kind of dish that makes your whole kitchen smell like love.
This is the sort of meal I serve when I want to slow down and really enjoy time with the people I care about, because it brings everyone together. I’ve made it countless times, and I always get the same pleased smiles around the table—it never fails to make folks feel cared for.
Please scroll down and leave a star rating in the recipe card below — it helps other home cooks find Gran’s recipes, and it means the world to me!
Barley Risotto, Mark Peel’s Recipe
Ingredients
- 0.5 cup Barley
- 0.5 cup Rice
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 0.5 pound Mushrooms
- 0.5 cup Salt
Instructions
- In a large (at least 2-qt) pot, bring 6 c. of salted water to a boil.
- Add in the barley and rice and let simmer for 25 min, or possibly till tender.
- Drain any water which remains after the barley and rice are cooked.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet.
- Add in the mushrooms and slowly cook over low heat for about 7 to 10 min.
- Fold in the cooked barley and rice and the chicken broth.
- Salt to taste and serve.
- NOTE: “Mark Peel, the chef of Campanile Restaurant in Los Angeles, made up this dish, that is greater than the sum of its parts.
- This is a speedy risottolike dish.
- Intermingled, the earthy flavors of mushrooms, barley, and rice taste unexpectedly new and different.”
