Cold Barley Salad with Raw Vegetables is very easy to prepare and especially helpful in summer because it becomes a unique and fresh dish to enjoy when it’s hotter. I prefer to use whole grains even if the cooking times are longer, but unlike refined ones, they retain all their properties. If you want to speed up the recipe and don’t have a pressure cooker, then feel free to use pearl barley which will certainly be faster. To this salad, if you really want to consider it as a main dish, you can add proteins of any kind: tuna, cheese, meat, cured meats, basically whatever you prefer.
Do you like salads? Then don’t miss the upcoming recipes:
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 12 Hours 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
Ingredients
- 7 oz whole barley
- 7 oz cucumber
- 7 oz carrot
- 3 oz black olives
- 1 bunch arugula
- 12 medium red cherry tomatoes
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
Preparation
The first thing to do is to soak the whole barley for at least 12 hours so that it softens well. We then start preparing the recipe by boiling the barley for about 1 hour in the traditional way, or 20/30 minutes in a pressure cooker. Once cooked, drain and let it cool for at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, peel the carrots, cucumbers, and coarsely grate the carrots.
Continue by dicing the cucumbers into small pieces and quartering the red cherry tomatoes. Clean the arugula, wash it thoroughly to remove all traces of dirt, and dry it by patting with paper towels.
Now that the barley is cold, pour it into a large bowl along with the cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots.
Add to the salad the black olives cut into halves or quarters and the arugula torn with your hands. Dress with 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and salt.
Mix all the ingredients well, and before serving, let it sit for half an hour to enhance the flavors.
Serve our Cold Barley Salad with Raw Vegetables, straight from the refrigerator or at room temperature because it will be delicious either way.
Tips and storage
The barley salad keeps well in the refrigerator in an airtight container, but remember that the vegetables will wilt. It will still be tasty and flavorful.
You cannot freeze it already dressed, but you can freeze the cooked barley to prepare it whenever you want.
For perfect thawing, transfer foods from the freezer to the refrigerator. This way, you will avoid serious health risks.
