Barley Vegetable Salad

Sometimes, silly mistakes turn out well. I have one sweet potato left in the pantry and wanted to combine it with lentils for a great curry. In a hurry to get the lentils cooking, I pulled the "lentils" jar out of the cupboard and emptied the pound bag into a pan. It was only when I started to add water to the pan that I realized what had been in the mislabeled jar was barley. By now, of course, the grains were wet and had to be cooked, so what could I make that would be relatively fast and good to serve to some vegan friends who would be coming for lunch?

A quick look through the refrigerator and freezer resulted in this salad. While the flavors would be even better if it was refrigerated overnight, the dish was a hit after only an hour or so of chilling.

Barley Vegetable Salad

2 to 3 medium carrots, coarsely grated (about 2 c or 5 oz)
10 to 11 oz frozen sweet corn, thawed
2 c pearl barley, cooked without salt and drained (about 8 oz before cooking)
1/2 to 2/3 c chopped sweet or red onion
1/2 c diced bell pepper, any color
1 c diced celery
1/2 c sliced black olives
1 t dried basil
Dressing
2 to 3 T balsamic vinegar
1/3 c olive oil
1/2 to 1 t garlic powder
1 T sugar, or to taste
1 1/2 t salt, or to taste

black olive juice, as desired

1.  Combine the barley, vegetables, and basil, tossing together until evenly mixed.
2.  Shake or stir together the dressing ingredients. Pour over the barley and vegetable mixture, adding a little of the black olive juices if needed to moisten the salad.
3.  Chill for at least an hour, but it will be even better if left in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.  Will keep well in the refrigerator for several days, though the colors of some of the vegetables may be less bright over time.

Serves 10 to 12 as a side salad, 6 to 8 as a main dish.

Variations and Other Thoughts

The variations on this are really endless, depending on what you have in the refrigerator. Diced cucumber or  broccoli flowerets would be good additions. Leftover vegetables (carrots or peas for example) could also be stirred in. You may want more or less bell pepper or onion or whatever. Adding thinly sliced carrots (raw or steamed for a minute or two in the microwave to soften) could give a different appearance to the salad too.

We are a family that loves olives, so I buy these in large quantities at Costco for a very reasonable price. If they seem too price-y or if you are not such big fans, you can cut back the amount a great deal or just eliminate them entirely. The use of the brine around the olives boosts the flavor and works as part of the salt in the salad overall, but it too could be eliminated if desired. 

This is one recipe where garlic powder may be a better choice than fresh, simply because the flavor may be more evenly blended throughout, but fresh garlic would of course be a great choice instead. If you have fresh herbs, they would be a wonderful substitution, whether basil or rosemary or even a bit of mint.

Barley:  This grain is under-utilized in most of our kitchens, yet it is easy to prepare, inexpensive, and nutritious. I like to cook a pound at a time, following the package directions but without adding any salt. Then I can put the extra into freezer bags or refrigerator containers. By not adding salt, I can use the extra barley for any recipe, adding seasoning as needed.

Summer Barley Salad

A check of the refrigerator revealed half a cucumber, half a sweet onion, half a bell pepper, and a small amount of barley all needing to be used; missing were lettuce, parsley or any other fresh herbs. My kitchen and my garden were in the midst of summer doldrums on a very hot, very un-air-conditioned day. Still, I was hungry for a salad, so here is what I developed.

Served with a plate of peaches, cherries and blueberries (all on sale that week), it made a great light supper enough for 3; add a little fruit blended yogurt for dessert, and the meal would stretch to serve 4.

Barley Salad for Summer

2 c cooked barley (about 3/4 to 1 cup uncooked)
1 c diced cucumber
1/2 c finely minced sweet onion
1/4 c or more diced bell pepper--use a mixture of colors if available
1 c frozen peas (no need to thaw; just stir in)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 to 2 t mixed dried herbs (I used basil, rosemary, thyme and marjoram, a mix I keep ready)
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 to 3 T sugar, to taste
3 T olive oil
lemon pepper and/or seasoning salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill several hours or overnight to allow flavors to develop. This will keep a couple of days in the refrigerator, so it is a good one to make ahead.

Variations:
Broccoli flowerets could be substituted or the peas (if fresh, I would blanch them in the microwave for about 1 minute, until barely tender and bright green). If you have garden-fresh tomatoes, they could be served on the side or diced into the salad just before serving. This is also the kind of salad that would look great for stuffing into great big tomato treasures.

Nutritional Note:
Pearl barley, the form most readily available in most stores, is significantly lower in protein and other nutrients than hulled barley, but the latter is harder to find and does take a little longer to cook. If you use pearl barley--as I did--you might want to add in a few cheese cubes, have some milk to drink or be sure to include some yogurt to up the protein and calcium a little more. Still, even pearl barley is a good food to put on the menu occasionally.