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Roasted cauliflower and toasted barley salad 

This salad makes cauliflower and barley the perfect combination. Serve this delicious salad as a side dish, appetizer, or just make it the whole meal! It stands tall on its own. 

Recipe from What’s Your Food Story?

Yield: 6 servings

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Roasted Cauliflower and Toasted Barley Salad

  • 1 head cauliflower, core removed and cut into bite-sized pieces (florets)
  • 1 red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper 
  • 1 cup pearled barley
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp salted butter
  • 2 ¼ cups vegetable broth
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • Dill sprigs
  • Flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • Pecorino cheese, shaved

Dressing:

  • ¼ cup lemon juice + zest from half a lemon
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp Dijon
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp sea salt

Directions:

For the Roasted Cauliflower and Toasted Barley Salad:

  1. Preheat the oven to 500F (convection if possible). 
  2. In a large bowl, toss together cauliflower, onion, oil, salt and pepper.
  3. Scrape onto a large (unlined) baking sheet and bake until charred and tender, about 20 minutes. 
  4. Meanwhile, in a medium pot over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil. Add barley and cook, stirring frequently, until toasted, about 3-5 minutes.
  5. Add broth. Bring to a boil, stirring; reduce heat to low and cover. 
  6. Cook until barley is softened with a slight chewiness, about 35-40 minutes.
  7. Scrape onto a plate and let cool. 

For the Dressing: 

  1. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, Dijon, black pepper and sea salt. 

For Serving: 

  1. In a bowl, toss together barley, cauliflower, onions, dressing and dill and parsley sprigs. 
  2. Scrape onto a serving platter. 
  3. Top with additional herb leaves and generously shave pecorino overtop. 
  4. Enjoy!