This Toasted Barley Salad is a perfect way to showcase summer vegetable flavors! The salad has toasted barley and pine nuts for a little crunch. Fresh tomatoes and summer squash, dressed a simple lemon and olive oil dressing makes this a healthy and flavorful salad.
This salad recipe is one that was presented at a culinary class I attended at the Culinary Institute at Greystone, in St. Helena. This property is so beautiful, and rich in history. It was once the Christian Brothers Monastery and winery. The views of the local vineyards are spectacular.
The CIA is truly a food lover’s dream destination. In the meantime, the CIA at Greystone offers a cooking demo in their lovely classroom, at a bargain price.
I took a few shots of the Culinary Institute. My camera flash decided to break, so I was working with natural lighting, shooting through glass and trying to be quick. Hence, the photography isn’t stellar, but I hope to share with you a taste of my fun day:
I might’ve left nose prints on the glass of their “Chocolate Section” classroom…
The class I signed up for was for “Toasted Barley Salad with Fresh Herbs, Heirloom Tomatoes & Zucchini.” I’ll be honest, here. I wasn’t chomping at the bit over this recipe, at first. It sounded…. well, unexciting. Since I paid for the class, I took a front row seat.
Chef used heirloom tomatoes in all kinds of pretty colors. He diverted from the recipe a bit, by using purple basil, rather than cilantro. I love cilantro and basil– and I forget to buy purple basil. According to the chef, green basil is “so last year“. I learned a few tips and once we got a taste of the salad, we both liked it. It only whet my appetite to make my own big bowl.
I am officially converted to loving barley in a salad! There are lots of health benefits to eating barley, too! Barley helps to lower cholesterol and it helps to um… well, let’s just say that the fiber works great. ‘Nuff said. I made this salad, when I got home so here is my own “Foodiewife” Demo:
Fortunately, our local farm stand had beautiful red heirloom tomatoes for $3.95 a pound. I had hoped for more color, but it’s all red for today. What a lucky score for me– there was freshly picked purple basil!
To toast the barley, heat a dry skillet to medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and lightly toasted– about 5 minutes. Set the toasted barley aside.
To toast the pine nuts, place them on a baking sheet (parchment paper is helpful) and roast at 350F for about five minutes. Watch them carefully, so they don’t burn! Set aside.
Bring chicken stock to a boil and cook the barley, covered, for about 15 minutes. Stir every so often. If the chicken stock evaporates before the barley is cooked, at a Tablespoon of water or so. Cook until al dente (slight crunch) and set aside, covered for 5 minutes. Allow to cool at room temperature.
Fortunately, I have quite a bit of curly parsley in our herb garden. I was glad to hear the CIA chef say that curly parsley is for more than just a garnish. I do think it’s a bit sweeter than Italian parsley. Use what you prefer.
You’ll want to cut the zucchini, lengthwise, and scrape the seeds with a spoon. The CIA chef sauteed the zucchini in a little olive oil, seasoned with kosher salt & pepper– so that’s what I did. It only took 3-4 minutes to reach a light golden brown. You can skip this step, if you want. Set the zucchini aside to cool.
I thank my husband’s gardening skills for our two container lemon trees. The Meyer lemon tree is loaded with lots of little green tasty fruit to come. I picked a Eureka lemon, fresh from the garden. You’ll want the lemon juice and the zest. I didn’t photograph the chopped red onion– I think you know how to do that, by now! Okay, let’s assemble this dish:
To make a “chiffonade” of basil, simple stack a pile of leaves. Roll and then slice. In a large bowl, add all of the veggies, herbs, lemon zest and half the lemon juice, and some extra-virgin olive oil (about 2 Tbsp.) Taste! Add some kosher salt. Taste again. I recommended adding the seasonings a little at a time. Trust your own taste buds, okay? I added more lemon juice. The lemon juice should have a brightness to it, but shouldn’t overwhelm the entire salad. Once you are happy with the flavor, add the barley and then the pine nuts. Gently combine and give one final taste. I needed just a pinch more of kosher salt.
Toasted Barley Salad with Fresh Herbs, Tomato and Zucchni
Ingredients
For the barley:
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 cups barley
- 2 tablespoons water see note
Toasted Pine Nuts:
- 1/2 cup pine nuts toasted
- 1 cup parsley minced; or ½ cup cilantro
Vegetables:
- 2 to 3 zucchini seeded and diced (can use summer squash too)
- 4 cups tomatoes diced; buy a colorful assortment of heirloom tomatoes, if you can
- 1/2 cup red onion finely diced
For the dressing:
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Zest and juice of 2 lemons
Garnish:
- 1/2 cup basil minced
- OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup dry jack cheese grated; or cheese of your choice
Instructions
Before you start:
- You’ll want to prep all of your ingredients, first. The assembly of the salad happens quickly. This salad is best served immediately– or within an hour. You can make the barley up to a day ahead, and then bring it to room temperature– if desired.
Barley and Pine Nuts:
- Bring a dry skillet to medium-high heat, and then add the barley. Stir the barley often, toasting the barley until it is aromatic. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
- Pine nuts: Bake (on parchment paper, if possible) at 350°F for about 5 minutes. Watch the pine nuts closely, so that they don't burn. Set aside.
Cook the barley:
- Barley: You will need a pot with a lid. Bring the chicken stock to a boil. Stir in the barley; cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Check once or twice, by stirring. If the liquid is gone, and the barley is still uncooked, add a little more of the water. The barley should have a slight "crunch" to it (al dente). Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Zucchini: Cut the zucchini lengthwise and scrape the seeds, using a spoon. You don't have to do this step, but I think it's worthwhile: Heat a little olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Season the zucchini, lightly, with kosher salt & pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, cut side down, until lightly golden. Set aside to cool.
Assembly:
- Add the tomatoes, onion, zucchini, herbs, lemon zest, and SOME of the lemon juice and vegetables. Add the olive oil. Taste. Add kosher salt & pepper to taste. Taste again! Add more lemon juice, if desired. The lemon juice should come through, but not overpower the salad. Last, add the barley and gently combine.
- If desired, garnish with fresh Dry Jack Cheese (or cheese of your choice).
- Serve immediately.
Notes
the water is to add to the barley if the liquid dries up before it is cooked to “al dente” (slight crunch to it)
This salad looks perfect! I love how colorful and healthy it is. I am so glad that I have a bag of pine nuts from Costco in the freezer. I didn't realize that they are a seasonal item. Happy 4th!
A great looking salad. By the way, pine nuts are grown in China and Italy.Perhaps it's my imagination, but the Italian nuts taste better in my opinion. If I'm not mistaken, the ones in your photo come from China. They are generally smaller and fatter than the Italian ones that are long and thin.I'd be interested in learning the result of a side by side comparison if you ever do one.
This sounds so good! It's pretty too. (I'm one that has to have color on my plate or I'm just not happy LOL)
The culinary institute sounds amazing! I sure wish we had something like that around here. My husband's paycheck wouldn't like it, but I sure would! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your trip and this great recipe!
You are making me wish even more than usual that I could go to the CIA! It's amazing how good such a simple dish can be, but with all those fresh ingredients (and that totally en vogue purple basil) it's easy to see why.
Great salad. I have gone to Greystone for some classes in the past and have never been disappointed. Thanks for taking me along on your tour.
Joyce
I love this salad Deb.
My Trader Joe's has been out of pine nuts for weeks, so I had to spend the big bucks and buy them at my regular grocery store. boo hoo.
So nice that you can take mini vacations all over your gorgeous state!
Enjoy the rest of your vacation and happy 4th!
xxoo
Wow! What a great place to visit. Sounds like you had a wonderful time. This salad sounds so delicious. I have never seen purple basil. I will have to be on the look out for it. Thanks for sharing this. This is my kind of dish for sure.
Hi, Debby. I enjoyed your latest post, with the great CIA tales and the wonderful recipe. I hope you enjoy your holiday weekend!
Thanks,
Dan
Oh, Debby, thanks so much for sharing your day at the CIA. There is a show that airs on NBC affiliates called "In Wine Country," and I recall seeing this property. (Your mention of it being a Christian Brothers monastery & winery reminded me.)
And the salad–yum! I'll have to hunt for purple basil, but it will be worth the effort if I locate it.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful day with us.
What a beautiful, healthy salad! I'll be making this one!
Like you I had just limited myself to using barley for soups.Time to bring it out of the closet.
Happy 4th, Debby! Looks like you're having a fun and delicious vacation!
~ingrid
I just noticed that you changed your photo on your side bar. You look so lovely in red- great pic!
Pine nuts are expensive but so are every other nut. I can usually get them in bulk at places like Whole Foods and such so you can buy only what you need.
I wasn't sure about the barley either but it's a very pretty salad. And I've never seen purple basil. I'm excited to see your pesto!
Have a great weekend.
love the purple basil! can't wait to see the pesto you turn out. the CIA is on my list too. we've driven by so many times, too many good wines to taste i suppose. loved all the photos!
thanks for the Costco tip on the pine nuts too. i thought this was just the price you pay for good pesto… 🙂
Wow, that place looks amazing! Talk about fancy!
The salad looks wonderful and healthy!
Excellent photos (despite the challenges) and love the story! What a bonus to get a great recipe along with all that!!! I love a good, healthy salad and this fits the bill. Can't wait to try this one.