Pearl barley risotto with marinated feta

Hi guys!

I hope you had a lovely weekend. Mine was filled with baking and sunshine. The weather was breathtakingly beautiful and I enjoyed every second. Today's recipe plays with flavors that simply shout sunshine. Sunny tomatoes and tangy lemon help with making this recipe special and interesting. The recipe comes from Yotam Ottolenghi's book "Jerusalem". I accidentally discovered it in a magazine.

Here's the recipe:
200g (7 oz) pearl barley
30g (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
90ml (1/3 cup + 1 dessert spoon) olive oil
2 small stalks of celery
2 echalots
4 cloves of garlic
4 thyme sprigs
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika powder (pimenton)
1 bay leaf
4 strips lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1 can (400g; 14 oz) canned tomatoes
300g (10.5 oz) sieved tomatoes
700ml (2 3/4 cups) vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
300g (10.5 oz) feta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
salt and pepper, to season

1) Rinse the pearl barley thoroughly with cold water and set aside.

2) Cut the celery stalks, echalots and garlic cloves into small cubes (about 1/2cm; 1/4 inch).  

3) Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the butter over medium heat and cook the celery, echelons and garlic for 5 minutes until tender. Add the barley, thyme, pimenton, bay leaf, lemon peel, chili flakes, canned tomatoes, sieved tomatoes, vegetable broth and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir thoroughly.

4) Bring to the boil, turn the heat to medium-low and let cook for 45 minutes, stirring here and there, or until the barley is soft and has almost absorbed all liquid. You can add a little water if necessary.

5) In the meantime, roast the cumin seeds in a pan without oil for a few minutes. Afterwards pound the seeds using mortar and pestle. Add the feta and olive oil and mix to combine. 

6) At the end of cooking time, taste the barley risotto and season with salt and pepper. Serve the risotto with a little marinated feta on top. 

Yield: 4 as a main dish
Active preparation time: about 20 minutes
Total preparation time: 1 hour and 5 minutes

Here's how it looks:

This dish offers a ton of different flavors. Don't let the long ingredient list discourage you. All of the ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store. And the final product is worth using all the ingredients. 

The lemon peel adds a nice tang, the tomatoes brighten things and the feta adds creaminess once it is starting to soften and saltiness to the recipe. If you don't like feta, try substituting a little cottage cheese or omit the cheese altogether.

I hope you can enjoy the last days of summer and have fun trying!