My mom went through a vegetarian/macrobiotic phase when I was a teenager. I often joke when it comes up in conversation that “yeah, we ate a lot of barley.” I suspect our barley consumption has grown in my mind based on my memory of a particularly bland batch that caused some conflict at the dinner table. We did eat barley but not all the time and most of the time it was in perfectly fine dishes.
I like barley in soups of course but it makes a great base for a very hearty salad and a cold salad for dinner seemed like a good idea since summer has really hit us here in the Northeast. I’ve been eating it for the last couple of days and it has gotten better the longer it sits in the fridge. Here’s the list of what I put in it:
pearl barley, cooked and cooled (I cooked mine in chicken stock)
cucumbers, peeled and diced
grape tomatoes, halved
olives, kalamata or another strong, dark variety, pitted
mint leaves, chopped
lemon juice
garlic, finely minced
scallions, diced
celery, diced
olive oil
red wine vinegar
black pepper
crumbled feta cheese
crumbled bacon
As with most salads, the amount of each ingredient is based on your own eyes and taste buds. I made a little too much barley and wish I had a few more little cucumbers but it’s a very satisfying even without those improvements.