Barley Risotto with Mushrooms and Spaghetti Squash with Herbs

I'm a big fan of one-pot meals. I like to focus on one thing at a time. I'm bad at multi-tasking and I can never manage to time everything to be done at the same time, so something that's a complete meal in and of itself just makes my life a lot easier. That being my preference, I don't tend to make multi-dish dinners very often. Today was a rare deviation my from my usual pattern.

TF had requested barley risotto. It's tasty and the barley makes for a hearty and comforting winter dish. The problem with risotto though, is that it doesn't really make a complete meal on its own. I mean, I'm sure there are instructions out there for turning it into a one-pot wonder, but I really just wanted a simple mushroom risotto, so I opted for a side-dish to complete the meal.

I spent a while poking around online, looking for ideas of what else to add, and eventually settled on Spaghetti Squash with Herbs.

Honestly, spaghetti squash has never appealed to me all that much, but it didn't seem right to write it off before I'd even tried it. This recipe seemed simple, but also interesting with the inclusion of fresh herbs and hazelnuts so I figured I'd give it a try.

It came out alright, but I can't say that it turned me into a spaghetti squash convert. It was, however, worth making just to see how the squash flesh magically turned into spaghetti as I scooped it out. I mean, I was expecting it, but it was still actually pretty fun to see it first-hand.

The risotto that I made was mostly based on this recipe with a few of my own tweaks. Here's roughly what went into it:
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 dried mushrooms (unknown variety), re-hydrated and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. pot barley
2/3 c. dry white wine
4 c. beef broth + ~2 c. water (next time would just use 6 c. beef broth)
black pepper
1 c. frozen peas
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. celery seed
1 bay leaf
1/2 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 c. grated Parmesan
1/4 c. butter

I'd probably make a few more tweaks next time, but I'm pretty pleased with how it came out overall. Next time, I think I'd put a bit less butter and a bit more Parmesan. I also feel that it needed just a bit more salt. (I didn't add any because I was using a commercial salted beef broth.) I'd also make half as much. I forgot just how much barley expands as it cooks!

It might be interesting to try adding a bit of pancetta as well. Bacon and mushrooms are a classic combo and I think the pancetta would hold up better in the risotto than regular bacon would. And I think just a little bit of meat added to the barley would be a nice touch.

I also think baby spinach would be a nice vegetable inclusion in place of the peas. Probably better than peas, actually.

I really like barley risotto in general. It packs in all the flavour and deliciousness of regular rice risotto, yet seems (and probably is) more wholesome and nutritious. It's no oxtail soup, but it is a nice dinner to sit down to on a cold day.