At a glance
You're creating a hearty barley risotto with smoky pork flavors in about 35 minutes total. The key time-saver here is using a pressure cooker for the barley, which gets it done quickly while you prep and fry bacon with mushrooms and vegetables. Then everything comes together with a simple stir to create a comforting dish that works beautifully on its own or alongside another main.
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Cook the barley
Put the pearl barley on to cook. You can use plain salted water, but I used a wonderful stock made from the smoked pork tip. To speed things up, I cooked it in a pressure cooker, so the barley was ready in no time.
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Prepare the rest of the ingredients
While the barley cooks, dice the streaky bacon and fry it in a large, deep pan. Add the spring onions cut into pieces (including the green tops), the mushrooms, and the chopped carrot.
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Mix it all together
Finally, tip the cooked barley into the pan and stir everything together well. If you have any leftover smoked meat, you can cut it into small pieces and mix it into the barley risotto too.
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