Barley Salad with Asparagus; hot

This is the end of the asparagus.

Last week there were piles of white asparagus and baskets of green asparagus.

This week there were a few bunches of skinny green asparagus and a small tray of white.

I lay the blame squarely at the feet of the weather. We have had unseasonably warm temps for the last week… Even in July this would be deemed a heat wave and it’s only mid-May.

Being a practical shopper mon mari bought all the asparagus that he could carry.

Here’s the first of the last….

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Barley Salad with Asparagus

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We love barley – and using quick-cooking barley has this pilaf ready in no time. This is a warm salad. Or make ahead and serve chilled.

• Author: Kate
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: Salads

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2/3 cup (2.5 oz, 75gr) quick-cooking barley
• 1 1/3 cups (11oz, 330ml) chicken broth
• 6oz (180gr) green asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1″ (2.5cm) lengths
• 3oz (90gr) peapods, snow peas, sliced in half or thirds
• 3oz (90gr) cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 tbs snipped fresh basil
• 1 tbs snipped fresh chives
• Vinaigrette
• 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
• 2 tbs sherry vinegar
• 3 tbs good olive oil
• 1 tsp dried Herbes de Provence
• rovence

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Instructions

• Cook barley in stock until done, stirring occasionally.
• If all stock is not absorbed, drain.
• Fluff and leave uncovered to cool a bit.
• Bring a medium pan of water to boil and blanch the asparagus for 2 minutes if slender, 3 minutes if thick.
• Add snow peas for the last 1 minute of cooking time.
• Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, but leave them a bit warm.
• Vinaigrette:
• In a small bowl whisk together mustard, Herbes and vinegar.
• Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly.
• To finish:
• Put barley into a medium bowl. Add drained vegetables, chives and Vinaigrette, stir well to combine.
• Add tomatoes, stir gently and serve.

Notes

You could use pearl barley but that would increase the cooking time. Quick-cooking barley is readily available.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/2 recipe
• Calories: 478
• Sugar: 5.8 g
• Sodium: 823 mg
• Fat: 22.4 g
• Saturated Fat: 3.2 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 60.9 g
• Fiber: 13.8 g
• Protein: 11.2 g
• Cholesterol: 3.3 mg

Keywords: barley, salad, asparagus

The worst (maybe) thing about having hot weather this early is that the farmers’ seeds have not all sprouted yet. Some crops are planted in the late fall, are all well-established and / or almost ready to be harvested this time of year.

Other crops, sunflowers, corn and soy beans, are planted now – which means that the birds are actively looking for seeds.

Which means that the crop cannons having been going off regularly, all around us.

Poor Guapa is afraid of guns.

Crop cannons are ‘guns’.

In order to keep her fear to a minimum, we keep the doors and windows closed so the cannons aren’t so loud.

It’s getting hot in our house.

She hasn’t been outside, other than very quick trips to do the necessary, in almost 2 weeks.

The cannons go off all night long so I can’t open the windows to cool the house down at night.

No, we don’t have air-conditioning. We have 3 foot thick stone walls.

Oh – and in the news….. A drought is expected this summer.

As long as we’re having an early heat wave we might as well have a drought, too.

And thunderstorms.

Anyone know of doggie ear plugs?