For this week I decided to try out barley, an ingredient that I have never used before but that it has been repetitively recommended by one of my vegetarian friends -the only one with decent taste, I have to say-. So thanks to her, here I am again, fighting my prejudices and tasting my cooking boundaries. I tried to bear in mind that barley is nothing but just another grain.. a vegetarian harmless grain that could not do anything to hurt my appetite or to jeopardize the reputation of the blog -if we have one at all-. I compared its colour and consistency to the one of wheat or giant couscous, and from those premises I opened the fridge and improvised the following recipe. The results, as you will see, turned out surprisingly well: a refreshing salad with a diversity of textures and a slightly Mediterranean flavour that can be served warm or cold and can be eaten as complement of your main meal or as a dish in itself.
I hope you like this week's simple recipe and as Da Vinci said -or Google affirms- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". Enjoy!
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| © Diana Chaccour |
Ingredients
Yield: serves 4
150 g barley
700 ml water
3 celery stalks (100 g), deveined and cut into small cubes of about 1x1 cm
2 green onions (50 g), finely cut
2 garlic cloves, cut into small cubes
25 g cocktail onions, cut in halves
50 gr black olives, pitted and sliced
50 g fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon salt in flakes
1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1 lemon, juice only
75 g Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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| © Diana Chaccour |
Preparation method
Add the barley to a medium size saucepan and incorporate the water and salt to taste. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer uncovered until the liquid has evaporated and the barley is cooked. Allow to cool down completely before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients.
In a bowl, combine the cooked barley, celery cubes, chopped green onions, garlic cloves, cocktail onions, pitted black lives, basil, salt and pepper, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. Mix everything using a spoon until all the ingredients are well combined.
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| © Diana Chaccour |
That's it, now divide into portions and enjoy!
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| © Diana Chaccour |
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