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Pearl barley and puy lentil salad with roasted heirloom baby tomatoes,
chorizo, green beans and baby radish
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1 cup pear barley
1 cup puy (or French) lentils
Large handful heirloom baby tomatoes
Handful green beans
Handful baby radish, thinly sliced
2 medium-sized whole chorizo sausage
Juice 2 lemons
Olive oil & EVOO
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Extra lemon wedges to serve
Baby basil leaves
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Pre-heat oven to 140˚C (280˚F)
Slice baby tomatoes in half, drizzle with a little olive oil and slow roast in the oven for 1.5 hours until caramelised. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Bring a small pot of water to the boil then add in the green beans, simmer over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, then remove beans and plunge into a bowl of iced water. Slice beans into very fine slices.
To cook the pearl barley, add to a saucepan and cover with 3 cups cold water, bring to a boil then simmer very gently for 35 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water, set aside to cool. Whisk up juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and some black pepper and pour over barley, stir to coat and set aside.
At the same time the barley is cooking, add lentils into a small pot and cover with 3 cups or cold water, bring to the boil over medium-high heat then turn down temp to very low and simmer for 25 minutes until cooked – test a spoonful and they should be slightly softened, yet still al dente and nutty in texture. Drain in a colander or strainer and run under cold water to rinse, add to the drained and dressed pearl barley.
Into a saucepan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and warm over medium heat. Add the sliced chorizo and pan-fry for 10 minutes until golden, crispy and cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, remove chorizo from pan and drain on paper towel. Add the juice of remaining lemon to the chorizo oil and stir to combine. Heat for a moment or two then pour all over the pearl barley and lentils then add the sliced green beans and radish along with the cooked chorizo and stir all together to combine. Turn out onto a serving platter, scatter with poppy seeds and serve with extra fresh lemon wedges and a scattering of baby basil leaves.
Serves 4
Note - this dish can be made into a vegetarian option by removing the chorizo and replacing with feta or pan-fried haloumi. For a vegan dish, just remove the meat from the original above recipe and maybe add a few roasted cashews for extra texture.
Lemon, ginger and rosemary ice-cream, hot lemon syrup
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1 cup caster sugar
1½ cups whole milk
2 cups double cream
1 cup single cream
Juice 4 lemons
Zest 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, very finely grated
For the hot lemon syrup:
Juice 2 lemons
¼ cup caster sugar
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Using an electric hand whisk, whisk the milk and sugar together for 2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved; add the cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, rosemary and ginger. Stir to combine. Place in the fridge overnight (best for optimum results) or for at least 4 hours in the fridge.
Remove ice cream mixture from fridge and pour into the frozen bowl of an ice cream maker, churn for 25-30 minutes – or as per your maker’s instructions until the consistency is a thick, soft serve ice cream. Serve immediately or return to the freezer for another 1 or 2 hours if you prefer a harder-style ice cream.
To make the hot lemon syrup:
Add ingredients into a small pot and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Serve warm over ice cream in sundae glasses.
To make a ginger 'spider'* as per pic above:
Add 250mls (1 cup) ginger ale to a serving glass. Add 1-2 scoops ice-cream and top with a scattering of fresh lemon zest. Serve immediately.
Makes 3 pints
*A 'spider' is an Austrlian term for a soda 'float' ~ generally consisting of soda and ice-cream