Roasted Vegetable and Barley Salad w/Charred Lemon Dressing

Amarante

Tue, Oct 10 2023, 1:51 pm

This was excellent and such a good way to use barley which is such a health "starch"

ROASTED VEGETABLE & BARLEY SALAD with Charred Lemon Dressing

Excerpt From: Adeena Sussman. “Shabbat

In his Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, the late Gil Marks wrote extensively about the history of barley as a prized commodity. In ancient Israel, it was so cherished that it was used as currency, and the value of land was estimated by how much barley could be grown on it. Only after the Roman Empire collapsed did wheat supplant barley as the grain of choice. Still, it’s one of the seven species identified with the land of Israel since biblical times, so why not reconsider how to use it beyond the more expected soup or stew? Cook it, drain it, and have it on hand to make all kinds of salads just as you would with pasta, quinoa, or farro. It’s got a lovely sweetness and texture, and it cooks up faster than wheat berries or farro but has similar applications. This salad is an interplay of bitter and sweet, with golden raisins ably standing up to shards of charred lemon and radicchio.

Makes 6 cups

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for cooking the barley and seasoning
1¼ cups pearl barley
½ pound zucchini (1 large or 2 smallish), unpeeled, cut into ½-inch cubes (1¼ cups cubed)
1½ pounds assorted root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, beets, etc.), peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes (about 4½ cups cubed)
½ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 large lemon, preferably thin-skinned, cut into ⅛-inch-thick rounds, seeds removed
4 long scallions (green and white parts), cut into 2-inch lengths
¼ cup golden raisins
½ small radicchio head, or 2 red or white endive heads, thinly sliced

Cook the barley: Fill a 3- or 4-quart saucepan halfway with generously salted water and bring it to a boil over high heat. (I like to add 1½ teaspoons kosher salt per quart of water, so if you fill a 3-quart pot halfway with water, add 2¼ teaspoons.) Add the barley, return the water to a boil, and cook, skimming off any foam during the first few minutes, until the barley is cooked just past al dente, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain the barley.

While the barley is cooking, arrange two racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Drain the barley well, then spread it out on a towel-lined baking sheet to absorb more moisture.

Roast the vegetables: Place the zucchini and root vegetables on a large rimmed baking sheet, drizzle ¼ cup of the olive oil over the vegetables, add the salt and pepper, and stir to coat.

On a smaller rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or foil, gently toss the lemons, scallions, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the lemons and scallions in a single layer.

Place both baking sheets in the oven at the same time. Roast the lemons and scallions until the lemon rinds and scallions are partially charred, 20 to 22 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. When you take the lemons out, remove the vegetables, stir them, return to the oven, then stir them again 10 minutes later and roast until the vegetables have shrunk and some of the edges are charred, 35 minutes total.

To finish the salad, scrape the lemons and scallions, including any flesh and pulp from the lemon, to a cutting board (discard any errant seeds you find) and finely chop them. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Add the barley, roasted vegetables, and raisins to the bowl and toss to coat, seasoning with more salt and pepper if desired.

Fold in the radicchio and serve.