Serves 6 to 8
Notes
Tanya absolutely loves the combination of cabbage and sausage, and this dish is one of her favorites. Today we are all cooking with more and different grains. Barley is an ancient grain, one of the first grains cultivated, more than eight thousand years ago, and is used around the world. Every region of Italy uses it—as flour to make pasta, for breads and porridges, in soups, as a contorno, in stews—and I use it here in a risotto. Barley does not release starch as short-grain rice does, and so, when making a barley risotto, I cook the barley separately, drain it, and add it to the flavoring of the risotto I want to make—in this case, cabbage and sausage. Then I apply the last step of a regular risotto, mantecare, mixing the flavored barley with butter and grated Grana Padano to make it creamy. I par-cook the barley like pasta in this recipe, since it takes much longer to cook than rice.
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 1/2 cups pearl barley
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 links sweet Italian sausage (about 10 ounces), removed from casings
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1/2 medium head savoy cabbage, cored, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 6 to 7 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth or water
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Grana Padano
Directions
Bring a large saucepan with 4 quarts of salted water to a boil with the bay leaves. Add the barley, and simmer until about halfway cooked (tender on the outside but still with a bite in the center), 25 to 30 minutes. Drain well.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil, and crumble in the sausage. Cook, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon, until it’s browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to wilt, about 4 minutes. Add the cabbage and season with 11/2 teaspoons salt and the peperoncino. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage wilts, about
5 minutes.
Add the drained barley, and cook and stir, uncovered, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a simmer, and cook until it’s absorbed. Add stock to cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is almost absorbed. Continue adding stock as needed until the barley is cooked and the cabbage is tender, 15 to 20 minutes more.
Remove the barley from the heat. Add the butter pieces and parsley, and mix vigorously to incorporate them. Stir in the grated cheese, and serve.
