Barley risotto with pumpkin and sausage - Test 1

https://blog.giallozafferano.it/soniamascioli/orzo-risottato-con-zucca-e-salsiccia/

1 - Ben and Paz are happy with all the ratios. I worry there's too much cream. The one recommendation we all agree on is that the pumpkin was cubed too big and a bit undercooked.

2 - Success! I increased the pumpkin from 8oz to 1lb, cut it into smaller cubes and reduced the cream from 1.5 cups to 1 cup, which I increased to re-heat it (successfully) on the second day.

Number of portions 6

Serving size ~350–375 g per serving (approx. 1 hearty bowl)

Calories per serving ~540 kcal

Speed: Quick Meal

Experienced cook (active time): 20–25 minutes
Novice cook (active time): 30–40 minutes

Total elapsed time: 45–55 minutes (novice: 60–70 minutes)

LHSS Score 7.1 / 10

2+1 Tbsps vegetable oil

1lbpumpkin, peeled and cubed 1/4"

1 small onion

1 chilli pepper or 1 pinch of red pepper flakes

1lb sausage meat (I use hot Italian sausage meat)

1 cups of light cream

1 + 1 oz grated parmesan cheese

240 gr of barley

4 cups vegetable broth

Salt and Pepper

Fresh parsley, chopped or lovage

freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat some oil in a fry pan (about 2 Tbsps) and sauté the pumpkin, onion and chilli.
2. While cooking, crumble in the sausage and cook until the meat is well browned.
3. Turn down the heat, pour in the cream and stir for a few minutes to get all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Continue to stir until the sauce thickens. Add 1 oz of grated parmesan, stir, cover and set aside until the rest is ready. 
4. Heat another Tbsp of oil in a pan to toast the barley. When it starts to become fragrant, gradually add the broth. Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the barley is cooked but still chewy.
5. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pumpkin mixture, and pour the rest into the cooked barley along with a few sprinklings (about 2-3 Tbsps) of Parmesan, stirring gently to combine everything evenly. 
6. To serve, top each serving with some of the reserved pumpkin misture.
7. Sprinkle with some chopped parsley and a few good grinds of pepper.

LEFTOVERS 

To Reheat

Add more cream to reheat. The barley will have absorbed a lot of the moisture, so the extra cream brings it back to its previous sauciness. You will likely need much less than 1/2 cup of cream.

To Make Patties

1 - This was very good. It took me a couple of goes, since I started just with the risotto which easily crumbled when I tried flipping, then just with egg, same problem, until I added a bit of flour. I did it all pretty much on the fly, so I'm not sure what the ratios are at this point. But it worked well.

Can easily be made into patties. Add 1 or 2 eggs (probably just 1) and a bit of flour (of course I'll want to standardize this). Heat some oil in a pan for about 3-5 minutes before starting. Make 75gr patties and fry in the oil until browned on both sides.