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tomato-barley-risotto-with-cashew-sour-cream

Tomato Barley Risotto with Cashew Sour Cream

Rich, creamy, velvety, chewy Tomato Barley Risotto with Cashew Sour Cream that never fails to impress. This simple risotto is vegan, flavorful and the most comforting, satisfying dinner you’ll have.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Cashews Soaking Time 2 hours
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

TOMATO BROTH:

  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 3 cups water – can sub vegetable broth, I used water
  • ½ tsp sea salt

RISOTTO:

  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium leek, thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ tsp chili flakes
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1 cup pearl barley
  • ⅓ cup white wine
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on their size
  • ½ tsp coconut sugar – will cut down the acidity of tomatoes
  • 5 big basil leaves, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

TO SERVE:

  • Cashew Sour Cream
  • Cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
  • Fresh basil, finely chopped

CASHEW SOUR CREAM:

  • ½ cup cashews - soaked for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight*
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp sea salt

Instructions
 

  • CASHEW SOUR CREAM:
  • Make the cashew sour cream first, and have it ready for serving.
  • Drain and rinse cashews.
  • Add all ingredients, including cashews, to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
  • Transfer to a small bowl or jar, set aside.
  • TOMATO BROTH:
  • Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
  • Place tomato broth on a medium pan and bring to a very light simmer. Keep it warm. Warming the broth before adding it to the barley will release more starch and make a creamier risotto.
  • While you warm the broth prepare the risotto ingredients.
  • RISOTTO:
  • On a medium pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
  • Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, until the onion is a bit translucent.
  • Add leek, garlic cloves, chili flakes and sea salt. Sauté for 3 more minutes.
  • Add barley and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until slightly toasted and fragrant.
  • Add white wine and deglaze (use your spoon to release all those caramelized bits form the bottom) the pan. And cook, stirring often, until all the wine is absorbed.
  • Add ¾ - 1 cup of warm broth and cook, stirring frequently, until all the broth is absorbed. Repeat this process: keep adding ¾ - 1 cup of warm broth at a time, stirring regularly between additions, always allowing the liquid to absorb before adding more broth. Risotto will get thicker and creamier with every cup of broth.
  • When you have approximately 1 – 1 ½ cup of broth left in the broth pan, add cherry tomatoes to the risotto.
  • Continue adding what’s left of the tomato broth, ¾ - 1 cup at a time.
  • The whole process should take about 40 - 45 minutes and use up all (or most) the broth. Taste the barley to know when it’s done, it should be al dente by now, perfectly tender, but still a bit chewy. If it’s not ready, add another ½ cup of hot water.
  • Once it’s ready, turn of the heat and add coconut sugar, fresh basil and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
  • Serve immediately with a big dollop of cashew sour cream, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.
  • Enjoy!
  • You can make the tomato broth and the cashew sour-cream in advance and store them in the fridge. Risotto is best made and served immediately, but you could store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days and reheat over the stove with an extra splash of water or veggie broth.

Notes

* Soaking nuts overnight makes them a whole lot healthier (you can read more about it here). But if you want to make the risotto now, soak the cashews in boiling water for 20 - 30 minutes. This will soften them quickly.