Barley Butternut Risotto

I've had a bunch of barley sitting on my shelf for over a month now, and I had no idea what to do with it. I found this recipe online, and bought a huge butternut squash specifically for it. I made a few changes from the recipe, and it turned out really great.

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash
3-4 cups vegetable stock
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup barley
a few sprigs of fresh thyme - you could use dried
1 bay leaf
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley - or 1 tbsp dried

First preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half length-wise and deseed. Spray the cut sides with olive oil spray, and place cut-side down on a pan. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until squash is tender. Remove from oven, and peel and cube when cool.

Saute the onions in a soup pot with some salt until they're tender. Add garlic, barley, 2 cups of stock, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to slow boil and then simmer until most of the stock is absorbed. Add stock a little at a time until the barley is tender. It should not get mushy. The barley is done when it's tender, but still has a bit of a bite to it. My partner called it bouncy in his mouth, and I think that's the perfect description.

When the barley is tender, add cubed squash and parsley and cook for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

I think I over-roasted the squash, because it pretty much fell apart in the pot with the barley. The picture with the original recipe showed more distinct chunks. I liked the texture of mine; it seemed more like a stew.

Original recipe on Cupcake Punk: Barley Butternut Risotto

Eggplant Butternut Squash Yellow Curry

This is the first actual recipe that I've come up with entirely on my own. I've found recipes I liked and made small changes, and I've looked at what I have in the fridge and thrown ingredients together, but I've never sat down and written out a game plan before I started cooking. I read a bunch of Indian recipes for inspiration, then figured out exactly what I wanted to do. It turned out even better than I expected!

2 medium or 1 large eggplant, cubed
2 small or 1 medium butternut squash, cubed
4 cloves garlic, whole
2 red chilies, minced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 can (more or less) coconut milk
cilantro for garnish

olive oil
salt
fenugreek seeds
coriander
cumin
turmeric

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash eggplant and cut slit in sides. Put 2 whole garlic cloves in each. Roast in oven for about 20 minutes or longer until eggplant is very soft to the touch. Let it cool and then peel and cube it.

Peel and cube the squash. Put the cubes in a baking pan, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for about 10-15 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Mince the chilies, removing the seeds if desired to control spiciness. Sauté with a couple of pinches of fenugreek seeds to release their flavor, about 3-4 minutes. Add chopped onion and sauté about 5 minutes. Add pinches of coriander, cumin, and turmeric and stir for a few seconds.

Add chopped eggplant and squash. Stirring constantly, cook for about 5 minutes. Add coconut milk, stir and cover. Cook for about 10 more minutes

Serve over rice, garnished with cilantro.