Introduction
I very rarely make pulse or grain based dishes, yet am always drawn to them when on a menu at a restaurant, particularly any restaurant that offers culinary fare that has its origins in the Middle-East. I love the taste and texture of dishes made with lentils, varieties of beans and in particular pearl barley. In fact pearl barley has always been that homely grain that in my mind always sits wonderfully in a beefy broth. Most of my pulse intake as a kid was limited to a well-known brand of baked bean, although I must say that my grandma and mum did both make a wonderful ham shank and lentil soup, which I absolutely loved and would welcome with open arms (or a dropped mandible) if it was put in front of me now. Black-eyed peas had always fascinated me and hearing of them used in a dish such as black-eyed peas, chicken and stuffing again, I find, has a real family and homely ring to it – actually that dish I’ve just mentioned I’m sure is a lyric in one of the songs from the group with the same name as the aforementioned pulse.
However, it was during last year’s World Cup that I became more intimately acquainted with the black-eyed pea when I cooked the dish acarajé – a Brasilian deep fried fritter. From there I experimented with a combination of black-eyed pea and pearl barley when I created the dish ‘Slow Braised Lamb with Barley and Black-Eyed Pea Pilaf‘. But I’ve always wanted to do a salad with them and for a while I have envisioned them in combination with fresh mint, olive oil and some lemony zest.
From a preparatory perspective pearl barley and black-eyed peas are one of the few grains/ pulses that do not require an overnight soaking, and can be simmered to a perfect consistency in under an hour. Using them as a base I decided to go with the combination of those aforementioned flavours – you know the mint, olive oil and lemon – but found these alone were not enough to constitute a balanced and hearty salad. I opted on adding an earthy sweetness; roasted red beetroot was a perfect contender. I then added chopped ripe tomatoes for that hit of umami and a crunchy refresher in the form of diced cucumber. Finally, the mint alone, although really good, needed some herby foil, and parsley fit that role to a tee. And there we have it, Barley, Beetroot and Black-Eyed Pea Salad.
