Ingredients
SERVES 4
– 240 g barley
– 500 g pumpkin cleaned, deseeded and diced
– 40 g butter
– 1 dash of cinnamon ground
– 50 g Grana Padano grated
– 3 g ground white pepper
– 4 cups vegetable broth
– 5 g table salt
– 2 tbsps. EVO
– 100 g courgette flowers (save only 2 to garnish) cut into strips and pistils removed
– 2 spring onions or scallion chopped
– 2 garlic cloves crushed
Directions
In a pan, place butter, a garlic clove and a spring onion; sauté until light brown, then add the pumpkin. Simmer the pumpkin, gradually adding vegetable broth, a ladleful at a time, until softened; also add a pinch of cinnamon, just before turning the heat off. Meanwhile, in another pan, put 2 tablespoons of EVO, the remaining garlic, a spring onion and the barley. Stir the ingredients for a few seconds and, after toasting the barley, start gradually adding the vegetable broth a ladleful at a time, continuing cooking over medium flame for ab. 25 minutes. In the meantime, put the pumpkin in a food processor and blend it until obtaining a velvety purée (add a little vegetable broth to make it creamier, if needed). Then, gradually, incorporate the cream to the barley. Also add in the courgette flowers 10 minutes before the barley has finished cooking. Shortly before turning the heat off, add the Grana Padano too; stir well, add salt and white pepper to taste. Garnish with the remaining courgette flowers and serve it warm.