Baked Barley 'Risotto'

I hesitate to call this a risotto, as it's not at all traditional.  But I did make it in a similar fashion although I finished it in the oven.  It was fairly decadent for us as I don't cook with cream, bacon or cheese very often. It really was yummy, so I'll be making it again.  I may try using different grains next time, but loved the combination of the smoky bacon and the gooey cheese so I probably won't mess with those!

Here's what I did...

First, I sautéed some sliced onions and sliced double smoked bacon (I trimmed all the fat from the bacon first)

 Then I removed the bacon and onion and added barley and some minced garlic and sautéed this for about a minute (virgin coconut is my oil of choice).  Next I added a cup of white wine and stirred it over low heat until the wine was incorporated.  I then added homemade turkey broth one cup at a time, stirring until each was incorporated and the barley was tender.

Meanwhile, in a separate skillet I sautéed some chopped portabello mushrooms.

I stirred everything together, along with a huge bunch of Swiss chard (sliced, washed and dried) and Celtic sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper

I added some cream

Then poured it all into a casserole dish and added slices of gruyere and edam.  Baked it all in a 400F oven for about 30 mins., then completely forgot to take a pic. of the ooey, gooey mixture on a dinner plate!  But it was yummy!!