This type of salad is just perfect to serve in the summer next to a piece of grilled meat, chicken, fish etc... Often we make substantial salads with pasta, couscous or potatoes, however to use pearl barley is a great way to mix things up a bit. Here we cook barley until it's soft, then we soak the cooked barley in a lemon oil citronette a good 15 minutes before adding some vegetables and cheese. The result is a very nutty, fresh and simply delicious salad which would be ideal to serve warm, room temperature or cold, it's your choice. This barley salad is also great to make in advance if you're having guests come over and then just take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving. 
4-6 servings Ingredients: - 1 ½ cups pearl barley
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 3 tbsps olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp oil
- ½ red onion
- 2 leeks
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 wedge of blue cheese, crumbled
- fresh parsley, chopped
Method:
Cook the barley in plenty of water until it's soft and cooked through, about 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice and zest, with honey, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper. When the barley is cooked, drain it and immediately pour it into a large bowl with the dressing. Mix everything well, and cover with foil. Let sit at least 15 minutes to soak up all the flavors.
Meanwhile, clean and slice the leeks, chop the red onion. Saute in a pan with olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add some salt, then add the sliced cherry tomatoes and cook in the pan for another couple of minutes.
Add all the onions and tomatoes to the bowl with the barley. Mix well, then add crumbled blue cheese and fresh parsley and add plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
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