This Mushroom Barley Risotto was one of my experiments in cooking with the pressure cooker, and I must say I am in love. Not just with the ease of making it, which goes without saying since a pressure cooker takes so much of the time and effort out of cooking, but with the fact that this risotto is creamy and delicious and quite perfect. Much, much better than stovetop versions I’ve made before. The pressure cooking makes the barley perfectly tender without overcooking it, and the fluids added to the risotto – a stock from the wild mushrooms and a plain old vegetable stock – ensure that it is as flavorful as can be. Because this risotto, like most risotto recipes, has wine added to it, I wanted to answer a question I often get from readers with kids: can we leave out the wine? Check to get new recipe updates by email.
The answer is yes, but with a rider. The wine adds a distinct flavor that’s important to the risotto, and while leaving it out would still yield a delicious recipe, it won’t be as authentic. The alcohol is not going to get your child drunk– if that’s what you’re worried about – because it cooks out entirely during the process. You’d be more likely to get drunk on a handful of grapes.
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