Barley salad with turmeric zucchini, with zucchinis cooked in an air fryer (but I’ll also explain other alternative cooking methods below), a very simple and fairly quick summer dish, keeping in mind that the cooking of pearl barley ranges from 30 to 40 minutes. You can prepare it in advance and let it cool in a covered bowl, storing it in the refrigerator once cooled for up to two days. However, once seasoned, in this latter case, consume it immediately. A tiny trick to cut down on cooking and preparation times for recipes is to cook your favorite grains and freeze them once cooled, even in suitable bags or containers, and then thaw them as needed. I know it may not be much of a suggestion, but maybe someone doesn’t know it and it could be useful.
Below I leave you some other ideas for using barley in your recipes.
#adv
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pearl barley
- 0.5 oz coarse salt
- 2 zucchini (medium)
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 5.3 oz canned cannellini beans (drained)
- 5.3 oz cherry tomatoes
- to taste fine salt
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pot
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Parchment paper
Steps
To make the Barley Salad with Turmeric Zucchini, first cook the barley in a pot with plenty of salted water following the cooking times indicated on the package you purchased. Drain and let cool in a bowl.
Wash, dry, and trim the zucchinis, removing the ends. Put them in a bowl with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, a little fine salt, and turmeric, mix well, and pour into the basket of the air fryer lined with the appropriate parchment paper and cook at 356°F for 7 minutes. You can also extend the cooking time depending on the crispiness you desire by a couple of minutes. Turn halfway through cooking and, once ready, let cool.
Wash, dry the cherry tomatoes, and cut them in half. Add them to the other ingredients in the bowl with the barley, add another tablespoon of oil, and adjust the salt if necessary. Mix well to combine all the ingredients and let rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to “merge” together.
At this point, the dish is ready to be served. You can use the turmeric zucchini and legume base to also enrich rice and farro. It will be equally perfect. This recipe is great for many occasions, even served in fun single portions at an outdoor dinner with friends.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
I DON’T HAVE AN AIR FRYER, HOW CAN I COOK THE ZUCCHINI?
If you make this recipe in the autumn, you can easily season the zucchini in a bowl with oil, salt, and turmeric and bake them in the oven at 356°F for 15-20 minutes depending on the crispiness desired, or in a pan, adding a couple of tablespoons of water.
