Barley salad with broccoli and zahatar

The love affair with zahatar continues around here. Is there nothing that isn’t improved by a generous sprinkling of this marvellous stuff?

This salad combines toothsome pearl barley with roasted vegetables and a creamy yogurt dressing. Essentially a cooked salad, it is freshened with peashoots and parsley.

The preparation is a bit faffy, what with roasting three separate vegetables, but worth it for the added depth of flavour it brings to the finished dish. The original recipe comes from the Persiana cookbook by Sabrina Ghayour.

Barley salad with broccoli and zahatar
(serves 4)

• 2 large red onions, roughly chopped
• 1/2 Tb olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 250g baby plum tomatoes, halved
• 300g tenderstem broccoli
• 250g pearl barley
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 3 Tb zahatar
• 1 bunch flatleaf parsley, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 red chilli, seeded and minced (or to taste)
• 75g pea shoots
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 3 tsp ground coriander

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Toss the onion with olive oil and arrange in a roasting tin. Cook for  30-40 minutes until softened and slightly brown on the edges.
3. Line a baking tray with tinfoil, arrange the tomatoes cut side up, and roast about twenty minutes until they are look slightly dried out.
4. Heat a griddle pan over a high flame, and grill the pieces of broccoli for a few minutes on each side. They don’t need to be cooked through, just slightly charred. Cut into 1″ pieces and set aside.
5. Cook the pearl barley according to the packet instructions. Rinse under cold water and drain well.
6. In a large serving bowl, toss together the pearl barley, half the lemon juice, and the zahatar. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Add the tomatoes, onions, broccoli, parsley, chilli and peashoots and mix again. Adjust the seasoning.
8. Make the yogurt dressing by whisking together the olive oil, yogurt and coriander. Season to taste.

Tags: barley, broccoli, gluten-free, Middle Eastern food, vegetarian