Are you looking for a delicious brand of butter and cheese that is sustainably produced and offers a little something extra? Then Truly Grass Fed is the answer.
Truly Grass Fed is “a premium brand of sustainably-produced dairy products from the green fields of Ireland.” They offer high quality dairy products that taking cooking and snacking to the next level. And whether you are using their spreadable butter or the classic butter sticks, you are getting a rich butter that brings the flavor. Then of course we have their cheese which is magical for the cheese lovers out there (it was great for snacking and for cooking!).
For St. Patrick’s Day, we were looking for some new dishes to try and while we were already adding Truly Grass Fed Cheddar Cheese to our holiday Charcuterie Spread, we wanted something more. Then we got the recipe for Cheddar and Caramelized Onion Barley Risotto straight from the Truly Grass Fed people and we knew we needed to give this one a try.
Since we had the opportunity to try Truly Grass Fed Butters (Salted, Unsalted, and their spreadable butter), it just made sense that we would give this recipe a try. Why you may ask? Because this recipe was created in partnership with the brand by Chef Catherine Fulvio and it is about taking a classic dish to the next level. We have never made a risotto before, but we are all about trying something new that also sounds amazing.
Truly Grass Fed helps us to make magic happen in the kitchen
If you want to see the full recipe of for the Cheddar and Caramelized Onion Barley Risotto, check it out here, but for a sneak peak of what makes this dish special we take a look at the ingredients list and some of the steps to make magic happen below.
What you need (for the risotto itself):
- 2 tablespoons of the Salted Truly Grass Fed Butter
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 2 finely sliced garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon of thyme (chopped if it’s not already)
- 10.5 ounces of pearl barley
- 3.5 ounces of cider
- 33.75 ounces of chicken stock (you can also use a vegetable stock for this one)
- 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
- 3 ounces of Truly Grass Fed shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces of cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
Just looking at this ingredient list lets us know that this is going to be a flavorful dish. And this is not the only ingredients list included in this recipe as they also include what you need to make a topping and for a chive butter. Of course, knowing the ingredients isn’t enough, we also need to know how to make the magic happen.
What to do (for the risotto):
Start by taking a large saucepan and heating it up over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, melt the Truly Grass Fed butter in the pan until it is foaming (yes it really will look foamy when melted). Add in the onion and lower the heat for 10 minutes. You want to get the onions to a caramelized state (which can sometimes take longer than 10 minutes so remember to be patient, but constantly paying attention to the pan so we don’t burn the onions). Next add in the garlic and barley while stirring. After incorporating the onions, garlic, and barley, you will add in the thyme and cider, stirring constantly while simmering for one minute.
For the next step, you will be adding in the stock. This is where things get real because you need to bring the mix back up to a boil before turning the heat down to a simmer and letting the risotto cook for 30 minutes (up to 35 minutes) while stirring on occasion. This process requires you to pay attention to what is happening in your pan as you want all of the liquid to be absorbed and the barley needs to be tender.
Once the barley is tender, the next step is all about making it creamy. This means adding in the Dijon mustard, cream, and the shredded cheese. Stir it all together and then remove from the heat. Remember to season!
While the risotto may seem complete, there are a few more steps and additions to the dish that complete it for a delicious experience that we can’t wait to enjoy for St. Patrick’s Day. But honestly, even if we aren’t making this risotto, we are excited to incorporate Truly Grass Fed products into our cooking (we already used it to make a tuna noodle casserole that was next level thanks to the Truly Grass Fed butter and cheese we incorporated into the recipe) and snacking routines.