BARLEY RISOTTO WITH SUNDRIED TOMATOES AND SHIITAKE

Steps:

• Pour the boiling water over the dried mushrooms, cover and set aside. In the meantime, saute the onions and half the garlic in the olive oil from the sundried tomatoes; keep it on low heat. Saute for a few minutes until onions are soft (no colour change). Add the rinsed barley and a pinch of salt. Stir the barley so that each grain is coated with oil. Add both the red and white wine and turn up the heat. After the wine is absorbed, add one cup of the liquid from the soaked mushrooms, taking care not to pour any sand into the pot. Turn the heat down to medium, and chop the mushrooms into small chunks and add to the pot. Roughly chop the sundried tomatoes and add half of them to the pot. Stir and add two cups of vegetable broth. Leave the pot partially covered and let cook until liquid is absorbed, about eight or ten minutes. Add one finely chopped garlic clove now as well as two more cups of vegetable broth. Continue to cook with lid off, stirring occasionally. When barley is tender and creamy (add extra vegetarian broth or water as needed), add the goat cheese and stir until melted. Quickly stir in the chopped spinach, the rest of the chopped tomatoes, chopped raw garlic, half and half, and sugar. Stir briefly and turn off heat. Season with salt, pepper, (and red pepper, if adding) and add one cup of the chopped basil. Cover and let stand for a few minutes. To serve, spoon into bowls and sprinkle with remaining basil.