1 medium pumpkin or butternut squash, skinned and cubed
2 medium white onions, chopped finely
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
400g Pearl Barley
80g butter
2tbls olive oil
1tsp ground nutmeg
1tsp ground cumin
1.5L Vegetable stock
200ml white wine
1000ml cream
Handful sage leaves (crisp up in a pan of butter)
100g Roasted hazelnuts
200g grated Coolattin Vintage cheddar
Method:
Chop up the pumpkin or squash into cubes. Some people like to leave the skin of squash on. That is up to you but it can become chewy when cooked.
Place the chopped pumpkin in a bowl and season with salt pepper and olive oil.
Roast in the oven at 200c for 25-30mins.
In a deep sauce pan, add half your butter and chopped chopped onions. Allow to sweat over a medium heat for ten minutes.
Add the crushed garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Season with salt & black pepper and add the cumin & nutmeg.
Toss in the barley and coat it fully with the butter. Then pour in the white wine and allow it to reduce.
Add ¾ of the stock and leave it to simmer for 30mins, stirring occasionally.
Add the remaining stock and keep stirring until absorbed. Taste the barley to see if it is cooked, it with still have a bite to it but not hard. If it is too hard just add some more stock or water until cooked.
Take the pumpkin from the oven and put a third in the food processor with the cream and blitz. Add this puree and the roasted pumpkin to the barley mixture.
Fold in ½ the cheese and serve immediately.
Top each plate with grated cheese, chopped hazelnuts & crispy sage.