Barley is a cereal that has been used in dishes for thousands of years. It’s a wonderful and versatile ingredient: it can be used in salads and soups or cooked like a risotto. Today we are going to make a light barley salad with lots of fresh vegetables and shrimps! This colourful salad could be a great side dish for a barbecue or a buffet, but could also be served on its own as a light meal.

Tips.

1. Pearl barley does not need soaking before cooking, it is simply boiled like rice.

2. Wash the barley under running water for a few minutes before cooking it, to remove its natural bitter taste.

3. For this recipe I am using a red Tropea’s onion, a delicious onion variety, available in Italy. If you don’t find it, you can use shallots instead. Shallots and Tropea’s onions are perfect for this recipe because they are naturally sweet and have a pleasant delicate flavour.

Barley and shrimp salad in red cabbage leaves.

5 – 6 red cabbage leaves (medium size)

90 g pearl barley

250 g frozen shrimps

1/2 sweet red Tropea’s onion (or shallots)

1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped

7-8 cherry tomatoes

1 large avocado

the juice of half a lemon

2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

vegetable broth

Method.

1. Cook the pearl barley in vegetable broth (I used an organic stock), for 40 minutes (the cooking time will vary depending on the variety of barley).

2. Boil some water in a sauce pan, then turn off the heat and poach the shrimps for 3-4 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Wash and dry the cabbage leaves. Peel and slice the onion and avocado, then set aside. Wash, dry and cut the celery and tomatoes.

4. Mix all the vegetables (including the chopped parsley) with the cooked barley and shrimps. Serve the salad in cabbage leaves and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Cestini di insalata d’orzo e gamberetti.

5-6 foglie di cavolo rosso

250 g gamberetti surgelati

1/2 cipolla rossa di Tropea (oppure lo scalogno)

1/2 gambo di sedano

7-8 pomodorini ciliegia

1 avocado grande

il succo di mezzo limone

2 cucchiai di prezzemolo fresco, tritato finemente

sale e pepe q. b.

brodo vegetale (uso del brodo fatto con del dado biologico)

Preparazione.

1. Fate cuocere l’orzo perlato nel brodo per 40 minuti (il tempo di cottura può variare a seconda della qualità di orzo).

2. Fate bollire una pentola piena d’acqua, poi spegnete il fuoco e immergetevi i gamberetti per 3-4 minuti. Scolate e mettete da parte.

3. Lavate e asciugate le foglie di cavolo. Pelate e tagliate le cipolle e l’avocado. Lavate, asciugate e tagliate a cubetti il sedano e i pomodorini.

4. Mescolate tutte le verdure (compreso il prezzemolo) con l’orzo e i gamberetti. Servite l’insalata nelle foglie di cavolo e condite con sale, pepe e il succo di limone.