While I’m waiting for my lettuce and spinach to get large enough to pick we have to be happy with other types of salad.
Fortunately, we were more than happy with this one.
One of the best finds since we’ve moved here is quick-cooking barley. It cooks in just 15 minutes and is just as hearty and chewy as the kind that takes 45.
I’ve graduated it from soups and stews and risottos to salads.
I also love mustard, but I’ll admit it doesn’t make the best-looking photo.
Whatever, the taste was great.
Barley Salad with Red and Green Peppers
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup barley
- 1 1/3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbs fresh chives, chopped
- 1 tbs fresh basil, chopped
- Mustard Vinaigrette:
- 2 tbs Dijon-style mustard
- 2 tbs white Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbs good olive oil
Instructions:
- Cook barley in stock until done, stirring occasionally. If all stock is not absorbed, drain.
- Heat medium nonstick over medium heat. Add oil, onion, pepper and sauté until tender and light brown, about 10 minutes.
- Mustard Vinaigrette:
- In a small bowl whisk together mustard and vinegar.
- Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly.
- To finish:
- When barley is done put into a medium bowl.
- Add peppers and onions.
- Stir in Vinaigrette, herbs, and serve.
Life has returned to normal.
Sort of.
It will once the laundry is finished, anyway. It all takes a little longer here. The machines are smaller and each load takes about 1 1/2 hours.
Time to do a quick mow of the front lawn if one was so inclined…. One is not.
We had a great time doing all things tourist in the local area.
We had even more fun introducing our friends to the sweeter side of French life.
Things like Canelés, a lovely, decadent specialty of Bordeaux.
We eat them too fast to take photos.
And Macarons, a French confection that has been around for at least 300 years.
Okay, we didn’t have that many and we ate those too fast too… The photo is of a shop.
And other treats from the local Boulangerie / Pâtisserie.
The girls (dogs) had 6 straight days of ‘peanut butter kongs’ so they were just as happy to see us leave as they were to see us come home.
Everyone, chez nous, is on bread and water for a bit (Well, some of us are on kibble and water…)
And, of course, salads.
Those cakes and macarons look the epitome of French patisserie – DIVINE !! The Cocopop has eaten the whole end off her kong in a very serious bid to scrape out peanut butter remnants !!
I hope the girls don’t do that – it would take a lot of work! The kongs are big. As to the pastries…. Restraint flies out the window…