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The best way to make a delicious butternut barley risotto

<p>Barley has a fabulous chewy texture and nutty flavour that works well in a risotto in place of rice. It's naturally high in fibre and rich in the minerals manganese, magnesium and selenium, which all add up to help prevent heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Barley has a low GI, which means it is great for sustained energy and to help keep bloodsugar levels stable.</p> <p>If you have some greens like silverbeet or kale on hand, add these to the risotto at the end — or leave the greens out and serve with a green salad instead. It's delicious either way. </p> <p>Eating risotto on the coldest of nights is like giving yourself a big, warm food hug!</p> <p><strong>Preparation time:</strong> 20 minutes<span> </span><br /><strong>Cooking time:</strong> 40 minutes </p> <p><strong>Ingredients </strong></p> <ul> <li>1 kg peeled weight butternut or Jap pumpkin, cut into small chunks </li> <li>1 Tbsp olive oil  </li> <li>Good pinch dried chilli flakes</li> <li>Leaves from 1 stalk fresh sage</li> <li>1 Tbsp olive oil, extra </li> <li>1 red onion, finely chopped</li> <li>2 leeks, white part only, sliced </li> <li>3 garlic cloves, finely chopped </li> <li>250 g (1¼ cups) pearl barley, soaked overnight in cold water</li> <li>1 glass dry white wine </li> <li>1 litre (4 cups) vegetable stock</li> <li>½ small bunch silverbeet, spinach or kale (optional)</li> <li>50 g (generous ½ cup) freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve </li> </ul> <p><strong>Method </strong></p> <p>1. Preheat your oven to 220° C fan-forced and line two baking trays with foil or nonstick baking paper. Toss the pumpkin with the first tablespoon of olive oil, chilli flakes, half the sage leaves and sea salt to taste. Place in a single layer on the baking trays and roast until tender and slightly charred around the edges, about 20 minutes. </p> <p>2. Puree half the pumpkin with a little of the stock in a food processor until smooth.</p> <p>3. Heat the extra olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the leeks, onion, garlic and the rest of the sage along with a good pinch of salt and cook over a gentle heat for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the barley, increase the heat to medium and toast the grains for a few minutes.</p> <p><br />4. Pour in the wine and let it bubble until absorbed. Add 3 cups of the stock and the pureed pumpkin. Stir well, turn the heat to low, cover and simmer until the stock is nearly absorbed and the barley is almost tender, stirring occasionally. Check after 15 minutes. When almost tender, but still with a bit of bite in the centre, add the cubed pumpkin, the silverbeet, spinach or kale (if using) and as much of the remaining stock as you need (if you run out of stock, add a splash of water). You want the barley to be quite liquid. Stir well and continue to simmer over low heat for a few more minutes until the greens are tender.</p> <p><br />5. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan. Taste and add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover and allow to stand for a couple of minutes (this makes the texture creamier).</p> <p>6. Spoon into serving bowls and top with a drizzle of olive oil and the extra Parmesan. </p> <p><em>Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/recipes/butternut-barley-risotto.aspx">Wyza.com.au.</a></em></p>

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Butternut and miso turnovers

<p>These little turnovers are good for a crowd, and the pastry is surprisingly flexible in that it can be re-rolled yet is still flaky. You could also make these using bought puff pastry.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Makes</span></strong><strong>:</strong> 30 small turnovers<br /> <br /> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Ingredients: </strong></span></p> <p><em>For the cream cheese pastry</em></p> <ul> <li>280g flour</li> <li>½ teaspoon salt</li> <li>100g unsalted butter, diced</li> <li>50g cream cheese</li> <li>1 egg, lightly beaten </li> <li>1 tablespoon cider vinegar</li> <li>2-3 tablespoons iced water</li> </ul> <p><em>For the filling</em></p> <ul> <li>2 cloves garlic, minced</li> <li>3cm piece ginger, peeled, finely grated</li> <li>1 tablespoon white miso</li> <li>2 teaspoons sesame oil</li> <li>2 teaspoons soy sauce</li> <li>500g butternut, peeled, cut into 1.5cm dice</li> <li>2 spring onions, chopped</li> <li>¼ cup coriander leaves, chopped</li> <li>1 egg, beaten with a little water</li> <li>1 tablespoon black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds, nigella seeds or a mix</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method: </span></strong></p> <p><em>For cheese pasty</em></p> <ol> <li>Sift the flour and salt together. Put into a food processor with the butter and cream cheese and blitz briefly to a coarse crumb, so bits of butter are still visible. Add the egg and vinegar and blitz again, adding enough water for the dough to just come together.</li> <li>Tip onto a clean bench and bring together into a roughly flattened circle. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.</li> <li>To roll out, roll between 2 layers of baking paper, lightly dusting with flour, to 3mm thickness. Cut into 9cm rounds. Re-roll the scraps and cut again. Refrigerate until required.</li> </ol> <p><em>For the filling</em></p> <ol> <li>Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a bowl combine the garlic, ginger, miso, sesame oil and soy sauce. Add the butternut and toss to combine. Spread out on a baking paper-lined oven tray and cook for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Add the spring onions and coriander and set aside to cool. </li> <li>Spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling onto each pastry round. Brush the edges with egg wash, fold over into a semicircle and use a fork to press the edges together. Refrigerate until you're ready to cook. Brush the turnovers with egg wash, prick with a fork, put on a baking paper-lined tray and sprinkle with the seeds.</li> <li>Bake in a 180°C oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving with the sesame dressing.</li> </ol> <p><em>Written by Ginny Grant. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p> <p><em><strong>Have you ordered your copy of the Over60 cookbook, </strong></em><strong>The Way Mum Made It</strong><em><strong>, yet? Featuring 175 delicious tried-and-true recipes from you, the Over60 community, and your favourites that have appeared on the Over60 website, <a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/way-mum-made-it-pbk%20%20%20" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">head to the abcshop.com.au to order your copy now.</span></a></strong></em></p>

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Hot and sour butternut red lentil soup

<p>Cold nights call for hearty soups full of great flavours like this hot and sour butternut and red lentil soup.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients</span></strong>:</p> <ul> <li>1 tablespoon vegetable oil (such as canola or sunflower)</li> <li>1 onion, chopped</li> <li>3cm piece ginger, peeled, grated</li> <li>3 cloves garlic, finely chopped</li> <li>good pinch of chilli flakes (up to 1/4 teaspoon, depending on how spicy you like your soup)</li> <li>1/3 cup split red lentils</li> <li>400g can chopped tomatoes</li> <li>2 tablespoons rice vinegar</li> <li>2 tablespoons soy sauce</li> <li>1 litre water or vegetable stock</li> <li>1/2 small butternut (about 500g-600g), peeled, deseeded, cubed 2cm</li> <li>2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice</li> <li>1 bunch coriander, leaves finely chopped</li> <li>crusty bread to serve</li> </ul> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Method</strong>:</span></p> <p>1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes.</p> <p>2. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli flakes and cook for a further minute. Add the lentils, tomatoes, vinegar, soy sauce and water or stock and bring to a simmer.</p> <p>3. Add the butternut and simmer for 25 minutes or until tender. Stir in the lemon or lime juice and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper then stir through the coriander and serve with bread.</p> <p><em>Written by Ginny Grant. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz.</span></strong></a></em></p> <p><strong><em>Have you ordered your copy of the Over60 cookbook, The Way Mum Made It, yet? Featuring 175 delicious tried-and-true recipes from you, the Over60 community, and your favourites that have appeared on the Over60 website, head to the <a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/way-mum-made-it-pbk" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">abcshop.com.au to order your copy now.</span></a></em></strong></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/02/meatball-salad-with-pineapple-salsa/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Meatball salad with pineapple salsa</span></strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/10/shepherds-pie/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Shepherd’s pie</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/12/pumpkin-and-ricotta-cannelloni/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Pumpkin and ricotta cannelloni</span></strong></em></a></p>

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