Cinnamon is the perfect festive ingredient, ideal for both savoury and sweet recipes. This simple pearl barley salad is vegan and all the ingredients are available at your Co-op. Pearl barley has a chewy and nutty flavour and keeps well for a few days so it’s ideal for weekday lunches. Pearl barley also has a good shelf life when uncooked so it’s the perfect pantry staple.
Ingredients
- 80 g pearl barley
- 1 kg of carrots peeled halved and cut lengthways into thick strips
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons of currants
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Five stalks & leaves of continental parsley
Method
Soak barley in plenty of cold water with the cinnamon stick for 24 hours. Drain, then rinse under cold water.
Bring 1 litre of water or vegetable stock to the boil, add cinnamon stick again with barley and gently simmer together for 20 minutes. Whilst simmering, place carrots in a steamer and cook until just tender. Heat oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium to high heat. And spices and currants, cooking for one minute.
Stir in maple and add the carrots. Cook for two minutes until glazed. Season with salt and pepper and chopped parsley and serve carrots over the drained cinnamon infused barley. A small handful of toasted pine nuts adds a nice touch to this dish.
Serves 4 and keeps well for a few days. You can also use cinnamon quills to make this incredibly nourishing Ayurvedic drink.
This recipe is a creation by Jennifer Sargent from Zing Fresh, using only organic ingredients that are all available at your Co-op. 🙂