Pumpkin And Pearl Barley Risotto by Tom Kitchin

250g Pearl barley

1ltr vegetable stock

4 shallots (diced finely)

1 medium pumpkin

100g of butter

1 tablespoon of chives (chopped finely)

Extra virgin olive oil

Watercress leaves (deep-fried until crispy)

Parmesan shavings for serving

Peel and chop the pumpkin into chunky wedges. You can also save and dry, then roast the pumpkin seeds, for a tasty snack.

Roast the pumpkin wedges for the Pumpkin and Pearl Barley Risotto in the oven for about 30 minutes at 180-200° until golden and well caramelised. Keep some nice pieces aside to garnish, purée the remaining roasted pumpkin in a blender until smooth. Reserve until later.

Put vegetable stock in a pan to heat.

Sweat the diced shallot for the Pumpkin and Pearl Barley Risotto in a little olive oil until completely soft. Then add the pearl barley and 50g of butter and lightly ‘roast’ the grains in the butter, without adding any colour.

When the Pumpkin and Pearl Barley Risotto grains appear translucent on the outside begin adding the heated stock, one ladle at a time, whilst stirring very gently but continuously to avoid the grains sticking to the pan.

Continue ladling stock and cooking until the grains in the Pumpkin and Pearl Barley Risotto are almost cooked through. Then stir in a 50g of butter and some of the pumpkin purée to create a nice orange colour.

When at the right consistency, remove from the heat and serve with roasted pumpkin seeds, the retained pumpkin pieces, chopped chives, crispy watercress leaves , a drizzle of olive oil and parmesan shavings.