Barley Pomegranate Salad

Hands down, my favourite cookbook so far this year is Plenty by Yotam Ottelenghi.  Every single recipe in this cookbook has been amazing and this salad is no different.

I spotted a pomegranate in the grocery store the other day.  A rare jewel this time of year, I knew I needed to put that fruit to good use.  It also gave me a chance to continue my plan to use up grains that have been sitting unused in the cupboard.

We enjoyed this for lunch one day, but I think it would be even better paired with a juicy BBQ'd burger.  It's more of a side dish than a main.

Removing pomegranate seeds can be a real pain.  My favourite way is to submerge the fruit in water and pull the seeds out.  The membranes float to the top of the water and the seeds sink to the bottom.  No blood red juice to clean up and your hads remain stain free.

This made a nice large serving and I stored this in the fridge for a few days.  It tasted great each day and would be an excellent salad to make in advance of a work week and take for lunch each day.  I just hope you luck out and find a pomegranate so you too can make this one.

Barley and Pamegranate Salad
Adapted slightly from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

1 cup pot barley

3 celery stalks cut into small dice

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic minced

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper

3 Tbsp fresh dill

3 Tbsp fresh parsley

seeds from pomegrante

Rinse the barley, then place in saucepan and cover with water.  Simmer for approximately 30min until tender.

Drain the barley and while still hot add the celery, olive oil, vingegar and spices in a mixing bowl.  Stir and allow to cool.  Add the herbs and pomegranate seeds.  Enjoy!