Barley cooked the way you would cook risotto rice, fed hot broth a cup at a time until it turns creamy on its own, then folded with peas, Pecorino and mint. There is no cream anywhere in it. Forty-three minutes, one pan, four servings.
Give the barley the full thirty minutes and taste a grain before you believe it is ready. Pearled barley is still chalky at the center at twenty minutes, and there is no rescuing that later with more broth. Stir often once the pot starts to look dry, because that is exactly the moment barley wants to catch on the bottom of the pan.
The peas go in for the last five minutes only, so they stay a true green rather than fading toward olive. Pecorino brings its own salt, so taste before you reach for any. Parmesan works if that is what is on your shelf, and torn basil in place of the mint takes it somewhere slightly different.
