Chicken and Pea Orzotto

Ingredients

• 1 Small onion
• 2 Cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp of chicken fat or butter (see note below)
• 150g, 5.5oz Pearl Barley
• 1/2 tsp White wine vinegar
• 850ml, 1.5pints Chicken stock (preferably home made)
• A bay leaf
• 200g, 7oz Cooked chicken
• 100g, 3.5oz Frozen small peas

To finish

• 2 generous tbsp Parmesan or other cheese of your choice
• Small knob of butter
• Parsley if liked

Method

If you've had a roast chicken at the weekend, this is a great way to use up leftovers.  Make stock from the bones and you will probably find once it cools there is a thin layer of fat on the surface.  Well it might sound weird but why not use this to fry your onions?  Ok, not up for that?  Use a little butter.  Anyway, peel and finely chop the onion and gently fry in a frying pan in the chicken fat or butter until softened.  Put the stock onto heat up with the bay leaf until simmering.  Add the garlic and then the pearl barley.  Stir around a bit then add the vinegar followed by a ladle of stock.  Stir around and then add the stock bit by bit as you would with risotto although as it takes far longer, I would be a bit more gung ho and add a few at a time early on to avoid extreme boredom!

Once you get to about 35 mins, slow the addition of stock and taste the barley, cooking for longer if needed.  As I said I stopped at 40 minutes but I think 45 would have been a smidge better.  Some Orzotto recipes I have seen say it takes 20 minutes but mine was still too firm by then.

Once the barley is pretty much cooked, add in the peas and chicken and continue to cook until they are hot through.  Once hot, add the butter and cheese and beat in, taking off the heat.  Leave to stand for a few minutes then serve sprinkled with parsley if liked.