Broccolini and pearl barley with zucchini, and tahini yoghurt dressing

By: Michael James, Pippa James
From: The Tivoli Road Baker
Photographer: Bonnie Savage and Alan Benson

Lots of people throw away the stem of the broccolini but I like to include it. It provides a lovely variation in texture and avoids waste, which we hate. In this salad we chargrill the stems and the tops. Another nice way of using up broccoli (or cauliflower) stems is to shave them into your salad raw, for freshness and to add texture.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient

Salad

Quantity	Ingredient
250g	pearl barley
75g	currants
3 bunches	broccolini, trimmed
40ml	extra virgin olive oil
	salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3	small zucchini (courgettes), thinly sliced on a mandolin
1/2	red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1	long red chilli, seeds in, thickly sliced
1 handful	spinach, washed
1 handful	wild rocket, washed
1/2 bunch	mint, leaves picked and roughly torn
1/2 bunch	parsley, washed, leaves picked and roughly chopped
75g	sesame seeds, toasted

Dressing

Quantity	Ingredient
200g	greek yoghurt
	1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon	honey
1 tablespoon	tahini
1 tablespoon	extra virgin olive oil
	juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 tablespoon	red-wine vinegar
	salt and freshly ground black pepepr, to taste

Method

Put the pearl barley in a large saucepan and cover with 1.5 litres (51 floz/6 cups) cold water. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes, until tender. Strain and set aside to cool.
Place the currants in a small bowl and just cover with warm water. Leave them to soak for half an hour.
Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside until ready to assemble.
Preheat a griddle pan or barbecue chargrill until very hot. Cut the broccolini in half horizontally to separate the tops from the stalks. Toss them in olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Chargrill the stalks first, turning occasionally as you cook, to colour. This will take a few minutes; you want them to be slightly undercooked so they still have some crunch. Set the stalks aside and do the same with the tops (they will be a bit quicker).
Drain the currants well. Toss the pearl barley, broccolini, zucchini, onion, chilli, spinach, rocket, mint, parsley, sesame seeds and drained currants in a large mixing bowl to combine. Pour over the dressing and gently toss to coat.

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Broccolini and pearl barley with zucchini, and tahini yoghurt dressing

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