(Serves 8)

Main Ingredients: 

• 30ml Udo’s Choice® Ultimate Oil Blend
• 15ml Olive Oil (First-Cold Pressed)
• 2 Small Organic Onions, Sliced Finely into Half Moons
• 3 Cloves of Organic Garlic, Crushed
• 200g Organic Pearl Barley
• 150ml Dry White Wine
• 750ml Organic Chicken Stock
• Small Handful of Dried Porcini (Or large handful of Fresh Wild Mushrooms)
• Finely Chopped Fresh Thyme
• 30g Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
• 25g Grated Parmesan Cheese Sprinkles of Maldon Sea Salt to taste
• Freshly Ground Black peppercorns to taste
• 450g Total Weight Trimmed, Blanched Cardoon Stalks and (Celery is a good alternative)

Pesto:

• 50g Walnuts, Chopped
• 50g Parsley Leaves, Washed
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 15ml Olive Oil
• 15ml Udo’s Choice® Ultimate Oil Blend
• Maldon Sea-Salt, Ground Black Pepper .

Method:

Separate the stalk and heart of the cardoons and chop into 1 inch pieces. Simmer in salted water with a little lemon juice added for 15 minutes. Drain and refresh under a cold tap. Now peel away the string and stalk from each piece and discard these. Reserve the cardoon bits.

Soak the dried porcini in a little hot water for around ten minutes. Snip the porcini into small pieces and reserve along with the soaking water. Have the chicken stock simmering in a saucepan-add to it the porcini soaking water.

In another medium sized saucepan gently heat the olive oil and then add the sliced onion. Cook slowly without colouring until very soft, stirring occasionally-approximately 15 minutes. About five minutes before the end add the crushed garlic. Now add the barley and turn up the heat. Stir continuously for a minute or two so that it is completely coated with oil. Add the wine. It will bubble and evaporate. Once the wine has been absorbed, add a ladle of hot stock and the thyme. Turn down the heat so that the barley simmers.

As the stock is absorbed continue adding more ladlefuls of it, making sure each is absorbed before adding the next. Stir almost continuously to prevent burning and to entice the creamy starch out of the barley. Cooking the barley takes about 40-45 minutes - if the stock has been used up before the barley is soft, add some plain boiling water.

About halfway through the cooking add the cardoons and the porcini. When the barley is al dente, cover and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Now fold in the parsley, parmesan, Ultimate Oil Blend, Maldon sea salt and peppercorns to taste. Serve with a small dollop of parsley and walnut pesto on top, and with a sprig of thyme to garnish. Delish!   

To make the Pesto

Heat the olive oil gently and sauté the walnuts until toasted – approx. 1-2 minutes. Put the walnuts (with all the olive oil), parsley and garlic in a blender and puree. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Fold in the Ultimate Oil Blend and serve.