I created this salad, inspired by colonial farming methods, to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the first Jewish community in the United States. Serve cold for a delightful spring or summer salad.
It can be made in advance and served cold. Perfect for a Memorial Day picnic or Shabbat.
1654 Barley Salad
Servings
6 Servings
Ingredients
- 4 large cloves of garlic finely minced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
- 24 red grape tomatoes cut in half horizontally
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of cloves
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and finely diced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 2 cups frozen yellow corn defrosted
- 1 cup frozen cut green beans defrosted
- 3 scallions finely sliced
- 1/4 cup roasted red pepper jarred or fresh, diced
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup barley
- 4 cups water
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the first 10 ingredients in a large, glass serving bowl. Let marinate for at least 1/2 hour at room temperature.
- Defrost the corn and green beans. Discard any accumulated liquid.
- Have all of your remaining ingredients ready while you cook the barley.
- Bring the four cups water to a rolling boil. Add a pinch of salt and the barley. Stir to combine, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook barley for 40 minutes or until tender but not mushy.
- When the barley is done, quickly drain and pour it over the tomato mixture. Toss with the remaining ingredients. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
Tips
- The easiest way to peel a clove of garlic is to lightly smash it under the flat side of a chef’s knife. The peel then easily pulls away.
- Small grape and cherry tomatoes do not need to be seeded; large ones do because the seeds are slightly bitter.
- When working with hot peppers, place your hand in a plastic bag before holding the pepper to slice. The seeds and membrane are the greatest source of “burn”.
- For a great additional flavor to salads, roast cobs of corn over a fire, and cut the kernels off the cob holding a large knife at a 45 degree angle.
The term marinate refers to the first ingredients being exposed to the garlic and olive oil as well as the others spices. This allows the flavors to distribute evenly throughout the ingredients. Although vinegar is often in a marinade, here it would discolor the green vegetables and toughen the grains. I hope this answers some questions. Tina
There is no acid in the ingredient list, like a vinegar or citrus juice . . . is it missing, or the ingredients just marinate in spices and olive oil?