Blue Cheese Barley Risotto

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 diced medium onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup pearled barley

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

4 cups beef broth

⅓ cup crumbled Roth Buttermilk Blue Cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Over medium-high heat melt butter and olive oil together. Add onion, thyme and bay leaf and cook about 5 minutes, until soft. Add barley, stirring thoroughly, making sure that every grain gets coated in the fats, toasting the barley along the way. This takes roughly 3 to 4 minutes.

Lower heat to medium, add vinegar and stir. Add beef broth 1 cup at a time, stirring frequently, waiting until most of the broth is absorbed into the mixture before adding the next cup. Each cup should take about 5 minutes to absorb, making total broth process about 20-25 minutes long. Finally, add blue cheese, stirring it in to incorporate and melt into risotto. Remove bay leaf, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve. Risotto should be slightly runny when served.

Serves four to six.

Emily Geddes, Geneva