Recipe - Grilled Vegetable Barley Risotto With Marinated Portobello

One half cup Canola oil
1 tablespoon Minced garlic
1 Zucchini; cut or sliced up 1/4" thick
Lengthwise
1 Red onion; cut or sliced up 1/4" thick
Rings
1 Eggplant; cut or sliced up 1/4" thick
Lengthwise
1 Red bell pepper; seeded,
cut or sliced up
4 Scallions
2 tablespoon Butter
4 Shallots; minced
2 cup Hot vegetable stock ; (to 3
cups)
2 cup Barley
1/3 cup Grated ParmigianoReggiano
cheese
Salt; to taste
Freshlyground black pepper;
to taste
=== MARINATED PORTOBELLO
STEAKS ===
4 lg Portobello caps; destemmed
One fourth cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Minced garlic
One fourth cup Thin soy sauce
1/3 cup Canola oil
1/3 cup Red wine
1 teaspoon Coarselyground black pepper
=== BASIL OIL ===
2 cup Basil leaves; save basil
tops
For garnish
1 cup Spinach
1 cup Canola oil
One half teaspoon Salt

Mix oil and garlic. In a large bowl, toss the oil with all the vegetables
and season well with salt and pepper. On a hot grill, mark and cook the
vegetables. Place all the vegetables back in same bowl and seal with
plastic wrap to finish cooking. When the vegetables are cool chop
everything except the scallions into small pieces and pour any leftover
liquid into the vegetable stock.

In a 1quart saucier, add a little butter and saute the shallots. Add the
barley and saute for 5 minutes until the barley gets a little 'toasty'.
Ladle in stock, one ladle at a time, (like making risotto). Continue adding
stock until the barley gets 'creamy'. Season. Add back the vegetables and
heat thoroughly. Add the cheese. Check for seasoning.

For the Marinated Portobello Steaks: Mix all together, taste for seasoning
and marinate mushroom caps for 1 hour. On a very hot grill, mark and cook
caps until hot in the middle.

For the Basil Oil: In very salted water, blanch basil and spinach for 30
seconds, or until very soft, yet still green. Plunge in ice bath and
squeeze out water. Blend at high speed and add salt and the oil. Cover
blender and blend for 3 to 4 minutes or until the cup becomes warm.

For Plating: In a large pasta bowl, place a mound of barley on the top half
of the plate. Slice mushrooms like it was a steak. Fan out in front of
barley and garnish with basil oil and basil sprig.

This recipe yields 4