Oven-baked Pearl Barley Risotto with Chicken Breast

This is great as an alternative to rice risotto and incorporates flaxseed oil, turmeric and garlic as anti-inflammatory ingredients. Pearl barley also makes it extremely high in fibre compared with a regular risotto. It can also be cooked on the hob on a low heat but will need to be stirred often to make sure it doesn't stick to the pan. It takes around 30 minutes to cook, either in the oven or on the hob.

 Serves 2 as a main meal or 4 as a starter

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

½ tsp powdered ginger

½ tbsp turmeric

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp picked fresh herbs, finely chopped (or use dried if fresh are not available)

4 garlic cloves, separated with skin on

2 tbsp cider vinegar

4 tbsp flaxseed oil

1 leek finely chopped

1 onion finely chopped

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped

100g mushrooms sliced

150g pearl barley, rinsed

500ml vegetable stock

100ml white wine or water

Sea salt and Black pepper to taste

Herbs to garnish (e.g. parsley or chives)

Method:

Heat the oven at gas mark 5/190˚C.  Sprinkle the garlic cloves with flaxseed oil and place in a shallow ovenproof dish, bake for 15 minutes.  When cool, peel and chop (you may find that by cooking the garlic this way, the cloves can easily squeeze out from their skin and form a paste with a delicious roasted, but mild garlic flavour, so chopping will not be necessary).

Rub 1tbsp of the oil into the chicken breasts and sprinkle on ginger, salt and pepper (and a pinch of turmeric, optional). Place into an ovenproof dish and set aside to be cooked later.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan or ovenproof pan, using the rest of the oil, fry the mushrooms until golden. Remove with a draining spoon and set aside.

In the same pan, fry the leeks and onion over a low heat until soft and translucent. Add the turmeric and cook for 1 minute then add the pearl barley, mustard, herbs, chopped roasted garlic, sweet potato, wine or water and stock and place at the top of the oven (uncovered) at gas mark 5/190˚C for 30 minutes. The barley should absorb the liquid and be soft but still have a little bite in the centre. Cook for another 5-10 minutes if the barley is still hard and add some water if needed. Once cooked, stir in the mushrooms and season with black pepper.

When the risotto has been in for around 20 minutes, place the chicken breasts in the oven. These should take around 10-15 minutes to cook at this temperature but make sure you check that they are cooked throughout by slicing them in the centre. If they are cooked, leave to one side to rest for a few minutes while the risotto continues to cook.

Once rested, slice the breasts neatly. To serve, place the risotto on a plate and top with the sliced chicken breast.

- Alison