Purple Barley Risotto with Morel Mushrooms & Guatemalan Pollo la Frito Recipes
By: Tristan Guilbeault
Instagram: @tristangcooks
Risotto is an Italian staple, there are hundreds of variations using arborio rice. But what about other grains? In this recipe, I am making a fantastic risotto using heirloom purple barley and pairing it with boreal morel mushrooms. I enjoy Latin American cooking for many reasons; one reason is the immigrant story. Throughout history many immigrants found themselves in Latin America, with them, they brought their culture and food. Italians brought the risotto and although many traditional variations can be found in countries like Argentina; Peru has a fantastic twist that I love. Using their prized starch quinoa, quinotto was created. Canada has a similar story, we are a land of immigrants mixed with indigenous peoples. So in the spirit of that Peruvian quinotto, I have flipped the classic risotto on its head with this recipe. Using Canadian ingredients and a lot of inspiration, the result is a creamy, crunchy, nutritious bowl of goodness, suitable for the end of a long day on the prairies.
Purple barley is an heirloom grain that is grown on the prairies but was originally discovered in Tibet over 100 years ago. It is not alike any grain I’ve tried, it is chewy but also pops in the mouth, creating a very enjoyable mouth feel. It is less gummy than regular barley and it has the outer bran and endosperm still intact. This grain is very nutritious, containing up to 15% protein as well as an absurd amount of fibre. It is also high in potassium, calcium, zinc, iron, b vitamins and flavonoids. The dark pigment is from the same antioxidant that is present in blueberries and haskap berries, anthocyanins. These grains can be grown in diverse environments and with similar practice to other types of barley, they’re exceptional for individuals with celiac despite barley not being gluten-free.
Purple Barley Risotto with Morel Mushrooms
Recipe from Tristan Guilbeault
Dietary restrictions: Vegetarian, lactose-free, nut-free, paleo
Total Time (including Soaking Barley): 25 hour 15 min | (Soaking Barley): 24 hours | (Preparation): 30 minutes | (Cooking): 40 minutes
Feeds: 4 people
Ingredients
● 1 cup Organic Heirloom Purple Barley
● 1 tbsp Olive oil
● 2 cups chicken or vegetable Broth
● 3 tbsp Butter (we recommend St. Brigid’s Creamery A2 Grass-Fed Unsalted Jersey Butter, Rolling Meadows, Foothills Creamery, Savor Grass-Fed)
● 1 medium Shallot, diced
● 2 Garlic cloves, minced
● 1 tsp dried Thyme
● Salt and Pepper
● 1⁄3 cup Manchego (we recommend Spagnia) or Parmesan (we recommend L’Ancêtre Organic or Bothwell)
● 1⁄3 cup White wine (fuller-bodied; Chardonnay & Pinot Gris)
● 1 package Boreal Heartland Morel Mushrooms
● Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
● Allpa Arugula Microgreens
● Zest of one lemon
● Shredded Manchego (we recommend Spagnia) or Parmesan (we recommend L’Ancêtre Organic or Bothwell)
Instructions
1. Soak the purple barley, at least 24 hours ahead of time. Add to a container and add double the amount of water to grain.
2. Begin by rehydrating the mushrooms. Set in a bowl and add two cups of hot tap water, cover with a small plate to keep them submerged. Let rehydrate for 30 minutes. Save the liquid for the next step and add it to the chicken or vegetable broth.
3. Now the risotto can be started, get a medium-sized pot on medium-heat with olive oil. Saute the shallots for 5 minutes, then add the garlic, thyme and mushrooms, let brown for 2 minutes, add the butter, let cook 2 more minutes, then take out the mushrooms and set aside.
4. Drain the purple barley and discard the soaking water, add to the pot letting the barley toast in the fat for 2 minutes. Then add the white wine, let that reduce for 5 minutes, then begin to add the stock one ladle full at a time, reducing before the next addition, until all the liquid is added around 35 minutes.
5. Once the barley has softened in texture and has a slight pop to it, add the cheese and continue cooking for 5 minutes until it is creamy. Finally, add back in the mushrooms. If the risotto seems dry more stock can be added, if it is watery keep reducing. Ensure to season well.
6. Transfer to bowls and garnish with lemon zest, manchego or parmesan cheese and fresh arugula microgreens. Enjoy!
how to use barley
Barley is a versatile, nutritious grain that is grown locally here in Alberta. It can be cooked ahead of time and warmed for easy meals throughout the week. Barley works great in soups and stews, as well as cold in salads. It works great as a rice substitute while bringing more texture and nutrients. We should all be eating more barley!
Tips
The purple barley can be soaked 24 hours ahead of time for a quicker cooking time, as well as a less crunchy bite. I highly recommend this as I found with my first time using it that it was maybe too crunchy and the second time I soaked it for 24 hours, the texture was fantastic. Pearled barley on the other hand or most other varieties are hulled; meaning that the outside bran and endosperm have been discarded. The cooking time for these types of barley is 10-15 minutes less and do not require soaking. However, on the flip side, they are less nutritious. They can be used in this recipe and much more resemble the texture of short-grain brown rice. Purple barley to me, is a very unique grain and the nutritional content is quite amazing. I highly recommend trying out this heirloom grain grown here in Alberta, I felt amazing after eating it!
Inspired by Pollo Campero, the Guatemalan spiced chicken chain is renowned in Central America and the world over. I have taken my own unique spin with the spice blend, but the chicken is as juicy as ever. A very talented chef once told me, “it’s all about the brine” and after trying this chicken, that couldn’t be more true. The execution is simple; there is no marinating process, no messy egg situation, just chicken, flour and spices. A brief brining period, followed by a hot fry, results in the crispiest chicken I have ever had. It certainly beats any chain-fried chicken we have here in Calgary. Try this recipe and you won't be disappointed!
Pollo Campero is a fried chicken chain that was started in the early 70s in Guatemala. Its popularity spread quickly, even across borders to countries such as El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador and Mexico to name a few. A couple of years after many countries in Central America began to face political and economic issues, families packed up their bags and left for the United States. Needing a piece of home in their newfound country, people would fly back home and bring back with them Pollo Campero. This phenomenon began to happen so often that suitcases smelled like fried chicken, so Pollo Campero devised a smell-proof bag to satisfy their customers. Now Pollo Campero can be found in the United States and all across the world. Using high-quality chicken and spices from Amaranth, the best fried chicken in the world can be made at home in Canada!
Guatamalean Pollo la Frito
Recipe from Tristan Guilbeault
Dietary Restrictions: Nut-free, can be made gluten-free, egg-free
Total Time (including Brining Chicken): 4-13 hours | (Brining Chicken): 4-12 hours | (Preparation): 5 minutes | (Cooking): 30 min to 1 hour
Feeds: 3-5 people
Ingredients
Pollo Campero Style Chicken
● 1.5 kg whole Chicken broken down into pieces, or 1.5 kg thighs and legs (we recommend Bowden Farms or Sunworks Farms)
● 2 cups All-purpose Flour (we recommend Anita’s Organic Mill Unbleached All-Purpose)
Chicken Brine
● 5 cups water
● 1⁄2 cup kosher salt
● 2 tsp black peppercorns
● 2 bay leaves
● 2 tsp chili flakes
Adobo Spice Blend
● 1 tbsp black pepper
● 1 tbsp curry powder
● 2 tsp kosher salt
● 2 tsp buttermilk powder (we recommend Westpoint Naturals)
● 2 tsp cumin powder
● 2 tsp onion powder
● 2 tsp garlic powder
● 2 tsp paprika
● 1 tsp chipotle
Instructions
1. Make the brine, using a large pot or plastic container, whisk warm water with salt until dissolved, then add the black pepper, chili flakes and bay leaves. Add the chicken pieces to the brine, ensuring they are submerged and set in the fridge for 4-12 hours.
2. Drain the chicken from the brine. Set a medium-sized pot on medium heat with the oil and bring to 350 degrees. Set the oven to 325 degrees and add a sheet tray with a wire rack inside.
3. Now make the Adobo spice blend, add all spices to a bowl and whisk together. Save 1 tsp of the spice blend for the dipping sauce. Whisk the flour in with the spice mix. Add the pieces of chicken a couple at a time into the flour mix, ensure to adequately cover the chicken and pat it down. Make sure that every crevice is thoroughly covered on the chicken. Set onto a plate and continue with the rest.
4. Once the oil is at the correct temperature, you can start frying. Take the chicken, the largest first, especially the pieces with bones such as the thighs, and add back into the flour mix, coating completely again then shaking off and adding to the hot oil. Only add 1-2 pieces at a time as the temperature of the frying oil will drop significantly. Check the oil every couple of minutes, once it has reached 350 degrees again more chicken can be added. Stir the chicken around making sure it is being fried on all sides, once the chicken is golden brown 5-10 minutes depending on the size, take out of the oil, let the excess drain and place onto the wire rack in the oven. Continue with the rest of the pieces, it may take 30 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Once the last pieces are fried take the meat thermometer and check the first piece of chicken that was placed in the oven, insert it along the bone if there is one. If it registers over 160 degrees it is done, check the rest and get ready to eat!
6. Serve this gorgeous fried chicken with my buttermilk dipping sauce as well as your favourite sides. Enjoy!
*Add 1 tsp chipotle powder, 1 tbsp honey and 1⁄4 cup of the hot frying oil and mix to make a personal favourite of mine with fried chicken; hot honey. Simply drizzle on top and enjoy!
Buttermilk Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
● 1 cup Mayonnaise (we recommend Chosen Foods Avocado Mayonnaise and Suzie’s Organic Mayo)
● 1⁄3 cup Buttermilk powder (we recommend Westpoint Naturals)
● 2 cloves Garlic, minced
● 2 tbsp Ketchup (we recommend Suzie’s Organic Ketchup, Primal Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Ketchup and Eat Wholesome Ketchup)
● 1 Lime, juiced
● 1 tsp Adobo spice blend
● 2 tbsp water
Instructions
1. Add everything together in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Season to taste.
Brine
It's all about the brine! A brine in simplest terms is a salt water solution used to tenderize meats. It also makes proteins juicier and seasons them to the bone, something marinating doesn’t always do. Brining is very popular for turkeys, chickens, ducks and even pork. In this recipe, it brings flavour to the chicken, keeps it juicy and it also dries out the skin for an ultra crispy crust. Don’t skip the brine!
Gluten-free
When people think of fried chicken, they don’t often think gluten-free. There are many options out there for gluten-free flours, but for this application, it needs to be neutral tasting, starchy and it needs to bind well. My personal choice would be cassava flour, Amaranth carries cassava flour in the bulk section as well as from Bob Red’s Mill. It checks all the boxes for me and fries up quite nicely. If the flour is having trouble sticking, let the breaded chicken rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before frying, it will help the flour bond to the chicken.
Storage
If there are any leftovers they can be stored in the fridge for up to one week. If they need to be reheated, simply place in a 350 oven for 15-20 minutes. Make sure to save, strain and store that oil in a mason jar or sealed container. It can be used 3-5 times until the oil is no longer a golden colour. A good tip for cleaning the oil is to put it through a coffee filter, which will strain the impurities and leave oil that looks almost new!
Sides
Pollo Campero is typically served with mixed rice, beans, coleslaw, french fries and bread.
● Mixed Rice: Cook 1 cup Lundberg Family Farms Basmati or Jasmine rice with chicken stock instead of water, saute a green pepper with 1 small yellow onion, add 1 can Eat Wholesome sweet corn or San Remo sweet corn and mix with the rice—season with cumin, salt and pepper.
● Black Beans: Use one can of San Remo, Eden Foods, or Scarpone's black beans, add some chicken stock and cook down until tender. Add 1 tsp ancho chile powder and two tbsps butter. Let reduce until creamy and serve.
● Simple coleslaw: chop equal parts cabbage and carrots and mix with a couple of tbsps of my buttermilk dipping sauce.
● French Fries: Cool & Simple Frozen French Fries, Cool & Simple Homestyle, Cookin’ Greens Tri-Colour Veggies Fries, or make your own. Cut a couple of red potatoes into wedges or fries, boil in heavily salted water until tender, drain and let dry. Add to 350 oil and fry until crisp.
● Bread: Serve with some lovely toasted local sourdough or other bread of choice. Amaranth has many great options!