Pearl barley and roasted beetroot salad with maple balsamic dressing

This recipe is a bit different from my usual offerings – not a chickpea or a lump of cheese in sight! Instead, I decided to embrace the looming autumn with earthy roasted beetroot, carrots and leeks. It just goes to show that I should try new things more often, because this pearl barley and roasted beetroot salad was one of the best dishes I’ve made in ages. Heaps of roasted vegetables, with a sweet and sticky maple balsamic dressing, hearty pearl barley, and a scattering of chopped walnuts for a bit of crunch. It made a really gorgeous dinner, but a smaller portion would be great as an appetiser too.

Pearl barley is new to me, though I’ve had the packet in the cupboard for months – probably even since last year (you can tell how often I clean out my cupboards…). I bought it on a whim, thinking it might be a welcome change to the usual rotation of pasta, potatoes, rice, pasta, potatoes, rice… But when I got it home I realised that the packet said it took 75 minutes to cook. An hour and a quarter. To cook a grain! Naturally this put me right off, so in the cupboard it stayed.

Buuuut, I’m really glad I finally decided to let it see the light of day, because in fact it was ready in only about 30 minutes – I genuinely have no idea what the packet was talking about. 30 minutes I can handle! So if you have a sad packet of barley in your cupboard like me, make sure you give it a try. Like most grains, it doesn’t have a huge amount of flavour on its own, so it’s easy to dress up however you please. I actually found the texture ever so slightly reminiscent of oats, but a bit more substantial.

Roasted beetroot is also fairly new to me – I don’t often use fresh beetroots. In the past I’ve been put off by the amount of clean up I  foresaw (I had visions of me needing to wipe bright pink beetroot juice off the ceiling), but actually it wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting – I definitely made a big pink mess on the chopping board, but it all washed off pretty easily. Another thing that was much less hassle than I thought it would be!

So if you’re scared of either pearl barley or beetroot… don’t be! Make this pearl barley and roasted beetroot salad instead.

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Pearl barley and roasted beetroot salad with maple balsamic dressing

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins

Servings: 2 -3

Ingredients

• 2 inch medium leeks trimmed and cut into 1 chunks
• 5 inch medium carrots halved lengthwise then cut into 2 chunks
• 4 fresh beetroot peeled and cut into wedges
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp maple syrup or honey
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 100 g uncooked pearl barley
• 40 g walnuts coarsely chopped
• 30 g fresh rocket arugula

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F). Place the prepared vegetables in a large roasting tray, and add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and plenty of salt and black pepper. Mix well with a spoon until evenly coated. Place in the oven and roast for around 1 and a half hours, or until soft and slightly crispy on the edges.
• An hour or so after putting the vegetables in the oven, put the pearl barley in a pan of water to boil - it will probably take around 30 minutes.
• When the pearl barley is cooked, drain it, and add the walnuts. Serve with the fresh rocket and roasted vegetables, drizzled with any excess dressing.

Course: Main meal

Author: Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche

If you’re a fan of warm grain-based salads, make sure you try this roasted cauliflower, chickpea and quinoa salad: