Italian Barley Salad

periwinklejenn's Note:

A barley salad that can be served cool or warm, however you prefer. Prep time includes time to cook the barley.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 cup barley
• 12 ounces prosciutto, cut into 1-inch slices
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 3/4 cup roasted red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, thinly shaved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook barley or brown rice according to package directions. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine prosciutto strips, tomatoes, peppers, green onions, basil, parmigiano, olive oil. lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the cooled barley and toss to blend.

Reviews

[CTRmom]

Really delicious. I had cooked up a whole bag of barley and was looking for a salad to use part of it. I decided on this one and it was great. I made without the tomatoes and prosciutto (since I didn't have any on hand), but added garbanzo beans for protein and some fresh parsley. I decided not to salt it after tasting it. The cheese was salty enough for our taste and I had cooked the barley in lightly salted water.

[Muffin Goddess]

Great flavor combo! This makes a super-hearty salad, packed with lots of savory ingredients. I didn't have any cherry tomatoes, so I just chopped up some plum tomatoes instead. I think I also messed up and only used 1/2 cup of uncooked barley instead of a full cup (not good at multitasking after 10pm, lol), which would explain why the salad seemed a teensy bit salty to me. I guess that if you only use half the barley, you can definitely leave the salt out, because the prosciutto is salty enough on it's own. When I make this again (with the full amount of barley, of course), I'll have to taste it pre-salt to see if the prosciutto still gives enough salt for the dish. Even with my screw-up, I still loved this salad. This would be a good addition to a potluck meal, and it's a great way to use a grain that's not that commonly used in this way. Thanks for posting! Made for PAC Spring '10 :)