Roast carrot and barley salad with pickled sultanas
Roast carrot and barley salad with pickled sultanas
by Sam Linsell
Pickled sultanas add a great pop of sweetness and acidity to this hearty winter salad. You can use raisins or currants too. Any leftovers can be stored in a jar with the pickling liquid for later use. These would be great served on a cheese board or with grilled cheese toast.
Once you have made the salad and tossed everything together, check for seasoning and add another splash of vinegar if necessary and salt & pepper. Serve this salad alongside roast chicken, at a braai with other grilled meat, or part of a Middle Eastern feast.
Recipe – serves 4 – 6 as a side
Pickled sultanas:
½ cup (95gms) sultanas or raisins
¼ cup water
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf (optional)
Roast carrot and barley salad:
800 – 900gms carrots (about 8 large), peeled
1 large red onion or 2 smaller peeled and cut into thick slices
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 ½ tsp fennel seeds
Salt and pepper
A few sprigs of thyme (optional)
1 cup pearl barley
2 vegetable stock cubes
1 big handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (1/4 cup firmly packed once chopped)
Zest of half an orange
Handful of toasted almond slices
3 – 4 Tbs pickled sultanas
Dressing:
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbs freshly squeezed blood orange or orange juice
1 tsp honey
1 Tbsp Sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
To make the pickled sultanas, add all the ingredients to a small pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes over a low heat. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Decant into a jar with the bay leaf until use. The sultanas will absorb more of the pickling liquid over time.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F and line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper or a silicone baking sheet.
Peel the carrots, cut them in half. Cut the thicker halves in half again and put in a bowl with the red onion slices.
Add the olive oil and toss the vegetables until well coated.
Add the cumin and the fennel seeds and toss again. Spread the vegetables out on the lined baking sheet and roast for around 35 – 45 minutes until cooked through and starting to caramelize around the edges.
While the vegetables are roasting add the barley to a small pot with 3 cups of water and the stock cubes. Bring to a boil and cook over a medium-low heat for 35 minutes. Drain and rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
Once the vegetables are cooked pick out any of the large thyme stalks (if you used them) and scrape them into a bowl with the cooked barley. Add in any of the fennel seeds from the pan. Toss to combine.
Chop the parsley and grate the lemons zest and add it to the salad.
Mix all the dressing ingredients until emulsified and the honey has dissolved. Add this to the salad and toss so that it is well combined. Add the pickled sultanas. Add another splash of vinegar and salt and pepper if necessary.
Serve on a large plate and scatter over the toasted almonds.