Warm Barley & Roast Vegetable Salad
We all know that whole grains are a healthy inclusion in our diets. The attention and effort to cook with them can seem like a faff but when I do I’m always glad I did. The nuttiness of perfectly cooked grains is as welcome an addition to salads as it is with something juicy and slow-cooked. Dressing the grains while they are still warm is the key to ensuring each grain is tasty as can be.
I like carrots and broccoli in the salad but I’ve used sweet potato, red onions, beetroot, cauliflower, and pumpkin if that’s what I had in the house. In fact, swap out barley for your preferred wholegrain – freekeh, brown rice etc. Whatever you choose to anchor this salad, you want sturdy roasted vegetables with some fun highlights such as cheese, nuts, herbs, and alliums.
Basically, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure recipe.
ingredients
- ½ cup hulled barley, washed
- 1.5 cups water/stock
- 1 large carrot, cut in large chunks
- 1 cup broccoli florets (half a large head of broccoli)
- extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
- fine salt
- white pepper, ground
- 100g feta, cubed
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
- spring onion or chives or pickled red onion to garnish
Cook the barley in simmering water or stock for 45-60 minutes until grains are cooked through but still nutty in texture and not at all mushy. Remove and drain well. Dress the grains well with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper while still warm.
Steam the carrot and broccoli bits until just tender then toss with a little olive oil and salt before roasting at 190 degrees Celsius for 10-15 minutes to gain colour and flavour complexity. Allow these to cool to room temperature before tossing together with the barley.
Top with your chosen fixings. I choose feta because cheese makes everything better, chopped nuts for fun and pickled red onion for an acid accent. Plus it looks pretty and I always want to eat something more if it looks good.