Place the butternut pumpkin in a baking dish. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast pumpkin until softened and slightly golden brown. This will take about an hour.
Meanwhile, switch a rice cooker on to Cook mode and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, onion, and garlic. Cook until the onion is softened and golden brown.
Add the barley and stir with the oil, onion, and garlic to coat before adding the white wine. Cook until the wine is almost completely absorbed before adding the stock. Stir well and cover the rice cooker with the lid. Cook barley for 45 minutes or until the stock is mostly absorbed, stirring occasionally.
Add the roasted butternut pumpkin and cook for a few minutes, stirring to combine. Check seasoning and adjust to taste.
Once the stock is almost absorbed, add the butter and parmesan and stir well to combine. Just before serving, add the baby spinach and cook until wilted.
Top with additional grated parmesan to serve.
Notes
1. I made this risotto in the rice cooker. (In fact, I make all my risottos in my rice cooker!) This makes the risotto-making process much easier as you don't need to stand at the stove the entire time to stir it. You do, however, need to stir the risotto occasionally, so make sure you check on it every so often and give it a good stir.2. If you want a softer risotto, you can add up to an additional 1 cup of vegetable stock.