This One's for You, Mary

Hello everyone!
I've been silent for awhile as we've had a hectic week this week. But I'm posting a recipe for a friend and anyone else who might like to try it, and I'll post some pictures from our outing to the State Fair yesterday. First, here's the recipe:

Butternut Barley Risotto

6 servings (although I think it would make enough for a family of 8 if you have little ones that don't eat that much like I do!)

1 butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), seeded, peeled, and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (you can also just bake it and scoop it out instead of peeling it, and I cut the pieces smaller for my kids to handle)

3 TBS olive oil
1 small onion, cut into 1/4 dice
1 cup diced (1/4 inch) plum tomatoes
5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup pearl barley
4 TBS chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1. Blanch the squash in boiling, salted water until just tender, about 3 minutes.
2. Place the oil in a pot over low heat; add the onion and cook until tender, stirring, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, simmer the broth with the cinnamon stick in a saucepan, partially covered, for 5 minutes.
4. Stir the barley into the onions and tomatoes, coating well with the oil. Raise the heat to medium.
5. Stir 1/2 cup of the broth into the barley mixture; cook, stirring frequently, until it has been absorbed into the barley. Repeat, making sure each addition of broth is absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup, until the barley is tender and most of the broth has been used, about 45 minutes (or less if you take shortcuts like me and add 1 cup at a time! :) ) Discard cinnamon stick.
6. Carefully fold in the reserved butternut squash along with 2 TBS of the parsley. Cook until the barley reaches the desired consistency, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately in shallow bowls with parsley garnish.

I served with steamed green beans. I liked it, as well as Jackson. The girls weren't too keen on it, but then again, they're not too keen on anything, so I didn't judge the success of it by their reaction. :)