Seasonal Salads , Pearl Barley , Brown Rice and Bean

 

I wasn’t surprised by the news that many mayonnaise based supermarket salads contain more fat than a big Mac . They never look particularly appetising .Salads should be fresh flavours , seasonal vegetables , herbs,  grains , pulses. I always think there will be some left for lunch the next day but damn if the bowl isn’t always scrapped clean.
The following dishes all serve two very greedy people.

Barley and Courgette Salad

I recently saw pearly barley in salad referred to as wheatberries it doesn’t  have  a lot of inherent flavour but and lovely chewy textures it’s is definitely worth trying with dressings of lemon or balsamic vinegar. Served above with salmon but also would work well with grilled chicken or lamb.

150g of Pearl Barley simmered in boiling water for 1 hour
4 small courgettes steam and chopped into small 1/2 cm pieces
2 tbsp of freshley chopped parsley
2 tbsp of Preserved Lemon
1 tsp of Poppy Seeds
Juice and zest of half a lemon
Salt and Pepper

Brown Rice and Smoked Mackerel Salad

Brown rice is nutty and delicious better than more expensive wild rice . This is almost a kedgeree salad , with plenty of crunchy vegetables , and smoky fish.

150g of brown rice
3 fillets of Smoked Mackerel
1 red pepper
1salad onion finely chopped
1 heaped tbsp of capers
2 heaped tbsp of black olives
2 heaped tbsp of fresh parsley finely chopped
2 tbsp of olive oil
1tbsp of balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper

Tuna Bean Salad

This is a classic and shortly will get even better with french beans straight from the garden .

200g of dried beans ( kidney , chick pea , turtle beans) soaked overnight and simmered for 50 minutes
150g tin of tuna
1 tbsp of capers
2 tbsp of black olives
2 spring onions finely chopped
Dressing , 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar , 1 tbsp of olive oil , 1 tsp wholegrain mustard Salt and Pepper