Mushroom & Lentil Risotto

1. First peel and finely dice your onion – for ease, you can use frozen onions and piut them straight in the pan, making this recipe almost effortless; I interchange between fresh and frozen depending on how I feel on the day, and both are good choices.
2. Add the onion to the pan, and measure in 1 tbsp light cooking oil. Peel your garlic cloves and quarter them lengthways, and add to the pot. They will be getting a long, slow cook, and will soften and sweeten along the way, so you can afford to leave them a little on the large side.
3. Bring to a medium heat on your largest hob ring, and cook for around five minutes, stirring intermittently, to start to soften.
4. Pour in the pearl barley and stir through, then pour over the stock. In reality, I crumble in the stock cube and pour over the water, and it all turns out fine, but some people like to make the stock in advance and add it.
5. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the lemon juice and herbs and stir well, then simmer for 25 minutes, until the water is all absorbed. You will need to stir intermittently to stop the pearl barley from sticking and burning to the bottom of the pan.
6. Drain and thoroughly rinse your lentils, and add to the pan. Slice your mushrooms finely and add those too.
7. If you have opted for chestnuts, crumble some up and leave some whole, and add them here. Fold through, and ad another 250ml water. Bring back to the boil, then simmer again for another 15 minutes, until the pearl barley is soft.
8. Finely slice your greens and drop them into the pan a couple of minutes before the end, to soften them but not overcook. If you like your risotto (or barlotto) soupy, you can add a splash more water, and stir it in until starchy.
9. Season with extra black pepper, and serve warm.