I wait all year for the first tender greens to leaf out in my garden. Before full heads and large leaves have time to form, I harvest baby leaves from arugula, cress, spinach and lettuces, mainly plucking these tender greens from stray beds and pathways where they’ve self-seeded from last year’s plants.
A couple of handfuls won’t fill a salad bowl on their own, and the garden hasn’t yet produced a lot of add-ins. I sometimes mix a simple side salad of greens, radishes and scallions. Or I let spring greens contribute to a filling main course, tossing them with a cooked grain, nuts and cheese.
Pearl barley cooked until just tender and spread out to cool retains some bite and texture, instead of softening into creamy Hot Pearl Barley with Honeyed Nuts. It still takes time to cook, but you can make it in advance and refrigerate it for several days. In salads, I prefer pearl barley’s texture to quick-cooking presteamed barley or longer-cooking hulled or hull-less barley.
The earthy barley grains, spicy vegetables and salty cheese in this recipe get a slightly sweet tomato kick from the freezer-based salad dressing I shared in last week’s column. It coats the cooled grains when freshly made but soaks in for even more flavor the next day. This is a great salad to prepare early in the week and take to work for lunch over several days.
If made in advance, the dressing will soften the tender greens. Hold off on mixing them into the full bowl and instead fold them into each day’s serving, along with the feta, chives and final nuts.
Spring Pearl Barley Salad
Serves 4
1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup Tomato and Herb Salad Dressing
2 cups arugula, cress or other spring greens, torn into bite-sized pieces
6 salad radishes, trimmed and cut into thin matchsticks
4 scallions or small walking onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro or sorrel (optional)
3 tablespoons shelled pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped, divided
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Extra salad dressing or extra-virgin olive oil to taste
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons minced chives
In a 4-quart or larger pot, bring about 10 cups of water to a boil. Add the barley and salt, return to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes, until tender. Drain through a fine-mesh strainer, rinse under cold running water and drain again. Spread the barely onto a rimmed baking sheet and let sit for about 15 minutes, until completely cool.
Pour the dressing into a large, wide bowl. Add the barley, greens, radishes, scallions, cilantro (if using) and three-quarters of the pistachios and toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let stand for about five minutes.
Divide the salad among individual bowls. Drizzle with extra dressing or oil as needed. Sprinkle with the feta, chives and remaining pistachios and serve.
Julie Laing is a Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger. Learn more about this month’s salad dressing and risotto workshops at TwiceAsTasty.com.