Barley & Charred Corn Salad
This salad. I am excited for you to make this salad.
There’s something about sweetcorn and halloumi that will always be amazing. The combination of salty squeaky cheese with little bursts of sweetness from the corn is almost caramel-y. And also barley!! Barley will always remind me of my Nanna who used to throw it into every soup she ever made. It would sit, secret, chewy and delicious at the bottom of the bowl until you realised it was waiting for you to devour.
If you ask me, this recipe is best served on one giant plate (presented with gusto) in the centre of the dining table. Drizzle with the popping bright green chimichurri right before serving and (if you and your guests can handle it) sprinkle generously with sliced chilli. It’s whacky, its colourful, it’s salty, sweet, tangy, spicy, crunchy, chewy and squeaky and I just love it! I hope you do too!
Barley & Charred Corn Salad
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 cup barley
1 stock cube
3 corn cobs
3 tsp butter
1 packed cup of fennel leaves, chopped
225g haloumi, sliced thinly
1 large red chilli, finely sliced
For the chimichurri
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 packed cup basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
Method
Put the barley and stock cube in a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer (with the lid off), stirring occasionally, for 35 minutes or until the barley is tender and the water has totally evaporated (stir more frequently as the water starts to evaporate to stop the grains at the bottom of the pan from sticking).
Spread 1 tsp of butter over each corn cob and place on the grill or BBQ until the corn has a nice tasty char. Slice the kernels off each cob and into a bowl.
Add the cooked barley to the corn and, while everything is still hot, add the chopped fennel leaves. Mix well.
Blend together all the chimichurri ingredients until smooth.
Just before serving, grill the haloumi until hot and nicely browned on both sides (about 10 minutes) then cut it into pieces and add to the barley and corn along with the sliced chilli. Drizzle the chimichurri over the top, then serve.
Want more recipes like this?
This recipe is a sneak peek from my Seed to Supper program.
Seed to Supper is a gardening membership program that teaches you how to grow you own homegrown veggies and turn them into delicious meals. It's created for people who want to feel happier, healthier and more connected to nature by learning to grow beautiful, organic and edible gardens.
If you’ve always wanted to grow your own veggies and cook with homegrown ingredients (but weren’t sure how to start), Seed to Supper has you covered!
You’ll be guided week-by-week through each month of the growing calendar, learn what seeds to sow at every season, and get monthly recipes from me (like this one!) showing you how to turn your harvests into delicious meals.
