Photos of Aphrodite’s Salad by Mario
Whenever there’s a talk about Greek food, the very first ingredients we think of are Feta cheese and olives…but have you ever thought about grains? Yes, grains! Grains have been present in the Greek diet since ancient times. Well, not only ancient Greece, but Rome too. Roman Legionists use to carry rations of barley to the battlefield and cook it in their helmets, and that’s the reason why Greeks use to call them ‘barley-eaters’. However that doesn’t change the fact that Greeks use to and still eat barley, as well as other grains.
But what makes barley one of the best choice in a wholegrain world is a very high fibre content along with vitamins and antioxidants, and when compared to other grains, barley is lower in fat, and also higher in certain minerals.
All of those historic and health facts have helped me to come up with a recipe for my ‘Aphrodite’s Salad’, in which I’ll be using Pearl Barley with a mix of fruit and veg with Greek yogurt to balance the flavours. It’s crunchy, refreshing, and above all – super nutritious!
Aphrodite’s Salad
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves 2
Recipe by Mario
INGREDIENTS
- 1750 ml water for cooking
- 150 g pearl barley
- 1 medium sized beetroot
- 1 medium sized conference pear, peeled
- 60 g cucumber (about a quarter)
- 4 tbsp of Greek yoghurt
- Few sprigs of Dill, roughly chopped
- Sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp Cajun spice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook barley in 750 ml of salted water for about an hour (till soft in the middle), then cool down in ice cold water and strain.
- Cook beetroot in 1 litre of water for about an hour (check it with cocktail stick, it’s ready when it easily comes all the way through). Once cooked, cool in ice cold water and cut into 1 cm cubes.
- In the meantime, cut both pear and cucumber into 1 cm cubes and place in a bowl. Add beetroot, Greek yoghurt, dill, salt, pepper and mix together.
- In a separate bowl, mix barley with Cajun spice, salt and pepper.
- Grab a couple of plates, put half of barley on each one and create a ‘well’ in the middle using back a spoon, then put half of the pear and cucumber salad into each ‘well’ and that’s it – enjoy!
NOTES
- When buying barley, please check the label and look for ‘no need to soak barley’.
- If you prefer your barley very soft, cook it for a bit longer and check it every few minutes until it’s cooked to your liking.
