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middle eastern biblical barley and herb salad

Biblical Barley and Herb Salad

This barley salad has life force and history. Cheap, fortifying, and loaded with fiber, barley feeds 5,000 people in the Book of John and is a hit in the Old Testament too. These days, most people consider barley — if they consider it at all — as something wintery, perhaps sharing space with mushrooms in a warming bowl of soup. Here, this ancient whole grain gets the tabbouleh treatment, and becomes a significant salad loaded with herbs (and love — see Proverbs above). Nice as part of a biblical meze (Middle Eastern tapas, if you will), served alongside a blob of hummus and flatbread or with roasted eggplant, it’s just right for spring. Tahini is an extremely luscious sesame paste, available in Middle Eastern groceries, natural food stores, and most supermarkets. Like natural (preservative-free) peanut butter, tahini tends to separate, with the oil floating to the top of the sesame goodness below. Stir well before using.
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Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups vegetable broth or water
  • 1 cup barley
  • 1 bunch fresh mint chopped
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
  • 3 scallions chopped
  • 1 tomato chopped
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
  • 1 handful kalamata olives pitted
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, bring the vegetable broth to a boil over high heat. Add the barley. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender, about 30 minutes.
  • Fluff the cooked barley with a fork and set aside to cool. (The cooked barley can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or two; bring to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.) Stir in the herbs, scallions, and tomato.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, red pepper flakes, and agave nectar. Pour over the barley and stir until the grains are evenly coated with the dressing. Stir in the kalamatas.
  • Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least two hours. The dressing will soften and moisten the barley.
  • Remove the barley salad from the refrigerator. Drizzle the tahini over the barley salad and season with salt and pepper. The kalamatas add some saltiness of their own, so don’t season until just before serving.
  • Serve cool or at room temperature.