
When I die, I hope they carve these words on my headstone: She always found a way to add more vegetables. (It will be an enormous headstone, naturally.) I'm always looking for a way to add more vegetables to recipes, not only for health reasons, but also because I'm lazy. Why make a grain dish and a vegetable dish for dinner when I can combine them both into one bowl? Especially if that bowl is filled with creamy butternut squash studded with chewy nubs of barley and crunchy toasted pecans.
Orzotto, or pearl barley cooked like risotto, is a specialty of the Friuli region in northeastern Italy, but this recipe is not authentic regional Italian cuisine. It is the bastard child of an orzotto and one of my favorite risotto recipes — Melissa Clark's Butternut Squash Risotto with Pistachios and Lemon, from her book Cook This Now — with the addition of more vegetables. Of course.

The genius technique Melissa Clark employs is shredding the squash in the food processor, so it melts into the rice as it cooks, making an already creamy dish even creamier. My version flips the ratio of vegetables to grains, so the finished dish has all the soul-satisfying starchiness of the original, but is actually more squash than barley. And the finishing touch of toasted nuts adds a crunchy textural contrast that's especially nice if you are serving this as a main dish rather than a side.
Either way, you've already got your grains and vegetables covered. If only lazy always tasted this good.

Creamy Butternut Squash Orzotto with Toasted Pecans
Adapted from Cook This Now
Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a side dish
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and seeds removed
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1/4 cup white wine
4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock (preferably homemade)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Cut the squash into chunks small enough to fit through the feeding tube of your food processor. Fit the food processor with the shredding blade and shred the squash. (You will have about 6 cups of shredded squash.) Set aside.
In a saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter (or warm the olive oil) over medium-high heat. Add the barley and sauté until grains are golden brown and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the leek and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook, stirring, until the liquid has almost completely reduced, about 1 minute.
Add the shredded squash, stock, thyme and salt, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until barley is cooked through but still chewy and squash is falling apart. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately, topped with a sprinkling of toasted pecans and grated cheese, if desired.
Additional Notes
Related: Beyond Arborio Rice: 7 Risotto Recipes Made with Whole Grains
(Images: Anjali Prasertong)
Kart Serving Tray b...

Comments (12)
If I only have a small food processor, what's the best way to still make this recipe? Shred the squash by hand, or perhaps bake it then put it in a blender?
This looks great! Interesting method. Reminds me of a super aromatic butternut squash risotto I made with brown rice and fresh thyme & sage: http://chocolateandchard.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/butternut-squash-brown-rice-risotto.html. I love experimenting with making risotto out of whole grains!
Ooh this looks good. I made a creamy tomato barley risotto with almond milk from the blog Oh She Glows which was great but butternut has its own creaminess. And with that pecan topping for a little something something...
@Amanda G: Butternut squash is so hard, it might be difficult to shred by hand, so I'd recommend somehow turning it into a puree (either baking/roasting or steaming cubed squash and then blending) and using that in place of the raw, shredded squash. I have not tried this myself, but if you do, please let us know how it turns out!
Love the Willow Ware dishes! My mom gave me her set as my wedding china. Food looks so very pretty against the white and bright blue.
Is there any other vegetable (outside of the squash family) that would work for this? It sounds SO delicious, but my husband has already told me his squash limit is about once a season... Would love a suggestion of how to adapt!!
I just made this and it is absolutely delicious! Instructions were perfect, per usual. :) I actually was out of squash and had a bunch of sweet potato to use so I did that... just pureed it up and treated it like I would the squash! And then a bunnnnch of cracked black pepper to serve! Thank you :)
"Orzotto?!" Love it! Looks delicious...and love the pic too ;-)
@coconutandberries, Hi! Do you have your own blog? i saw your comment after mine here and on the energy bars post and we seem to be reading the same blogs and interested in similar kinds of food :).
I want you to know I investigated and purchased Cook This Now immediately after reading this post. Yums.
Add more vegetables is my cooking philosophy, too! I'm not so big on cooking lots of side dishes, either. Will try this soon.
For people who don't have food processors, a mandolin fitted with a julienne slicer, or a hand-held julienne peeler might be good options. Couldn't live without my julenne peeler! Pureeing the squash would give this dish a different texture. Not bad, but maybe not quite as good. Bet some diced pancetta would be nice alongside those pecans...