The combination of beets and plums is one of those surprising yet inevitable pairings that makes you slap your hand to your head and say: “Hey, why didn’t I think of that?” Well thank goodness for Joshua McFadden and his Grains for Every Season. When I first read the recipe for Barley Salad with Beets and Plums, I tried to envision that combo in my head, how the juicy burst of plum would play against the earthy burst of beet. And I liked what I imagined so I sent Craig out for barley (“Is pearled barley okay?” he texted; “yes” I texted back) and got to work.
Roast the Beets
Roasting beets is one of the easiest things to do and yet it seems intimidating to many. Step one: wash the dirt off the beets. Step two: wrap two to three beets in a foil pouch, drizzle with a little olive oil. Repeat with your remaining beets. Step three: place on a foil-lined cookie sheet (in case of beet leakage) and roast in a 400 degree oven anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of your beets. When you can stab a knife through the foil easily, you’re done. Then open the packets, let ’em cool off a bit, and use paper towels to rub off the skin. So satisfying.
Add the Rest
As for the rest of this recipe, it’s as simple as boiling barley with a bay leaf and a chile, cutting up some plums, then adding scallions and toasted almond slivers (the original recipe calls for pistachios but those are expensive).
To finish, glug on some olive oil, some red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and you’re done. I served it with some seared scallops and, as much as we love scallops, this barley salad was clearly the star.
Let me give you the recipe.
Barley Salad with Beets and Plums
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Put the barley, water, bay leaf, dried chile, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan with a lid. Bring to a boil, then quickly reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the barley is tender and all the water has been absorbed, 45 to 60 minutes for hulled barley, about 30 minutes for pearled barley. If the barley is tender but there’s liquid left, just drain it off; if the water has been absorbed but the barley isn’t fully tender, add a few tablespoons more water and keep cooking until tender.
- When the barley is ready, drain well and discard the bay leaf and chile. Toss the barley with a nice glug of olive oil and spread onto a tray so the grains are separate. Cool completely at room temperature.
- Meanwhile, arrange the beets in a baking dish in a single layer. Season with salt and pour ¼ cup (60 ml) water into the dish. Cover tightly with foil, transfer to the oven, and steam-roast until the beets are tender when pierced with a knife. Depending on the size and density of the beets, this could take between 30 minutes and 1 hour.
- When the beets are tender, let them cool until you can handle them, then rub or pare away the skins. Cut the beets into bite-size chunks, pile into a bowl, and toss with the vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, and many twists of black pepper. Let the beets sit a minute to absorb the vinegar, then drizzle on some olive oil and toss again.
- Cut the plums into the same size chunks as the beets and add to the bowl, along with the scallions, pistachios, barley, and a pinch of chile flakes.
- Toss everything again gently, so you don’t smash the plums. Taste and season with more vinegar, salt, black pepper, chile flakes, or olive oil —you want to get a nice sweet/salty/spicy thing going. Shower with the fresh herbs and serve right away, at cool room temperature.
