Risotto-style Barley (a dilemma)

I feel a little uncomfortable about this - it's a rather public forum for me to be gushing over someone I don't even know. But I love 101cookbooks, and its creator, Heidi Swanson, by extension. I rarely actually follow her recipes word-for-word, but they never fail to inspire me, and it's only a matter of time before this blog just turns into a clearinghouse for her recipes. My aunt gave me her cookbook, Super Natural Cooking, a few years ago and it took me a while to connect the cookbook and the blog, but it was a pretty exciting day for me to find a whole bunch more recipes like those in the book.

I was on a bit of a barley kick (actually I just had a bunch of barley to use up from the soup) and had always wanted to try her risotto-style barley. What a novel idea! Something as delicious as risotto, made with a whole(r) grain (the barley you'd use for this is still polished, but not as much as the rice, I'm assuming - it starts out browner, anyway). I followed the recipe to the letter (well, I used yogurt instead of sour cream), and I didn't like it. Not one bit. It was at once bland and unpleasantly sour. Rarely am I unable to finish the leftovers of something I've made (so frugal!) but there's still some of this left in the fridge from two weeks ago (good thing it's garbage day).

So here's my dilemma: I think of this blog as a space for tested recipes that are known to be good, or at least happy experiments. Sharing something here means it's worth replicating. So, do I post the recipe for something I thought was awful? I decided to - I had a pretty photo! And maybe you can suggest where I went wrong.

Risotto-style Barley with Winter Citrus and Arugula
from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson

3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 or 2 shallots, chopped (optional - I did not take the option)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp fine-grain sea salt (okay, I used Morton's iodized, but I long for the day I'm discerning enough to detect iodine in my food)
2 cups lightly pearled barley
1 cup good-quality dry white wine (I actually have no idea what I used here, but I wonder if it wasn't a good choice)
6 cups water
1 orange
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream (yogurt)
2 handfuls of arugula, coarsely chopped
handful of chopped toasted walnuts, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan over medium heat, then add the onion, shallots, garlic, and salt, and sauté for about 4 minutes, until onion begins to soften.

Add the barley to the pot and stir until coated with a nice sheen, then add the white wine and simmer for a few minutes, until the barley has absorbed some of the liquid. Adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

In increments, add about 6 cups of water, 1 cup at a time, letting the barley absorb most of the liquid between additions; this should take around 40 minutes all together. Stir regularly so the barley at the bottom doesn't scorch. You'll know when it's done because the barley won't offer much resistance to chewing (although it will still bill chewier than arborio rice). Don't worry if there's some unabsorbed liquid in the pot.

Meanwhile, grate the zest of the orange and peel and segment it. Cut the segments in half, reserving any juice. When the barley is tender, stir in the orange zest, segments and juice, lemon zest, Parmesan, and creme fraiche. Taste and adjust seasoning, then stir in the arugula. Top with the toasted walnuts before serving.

Easily serves 4 to 6.