Barley Salad Recipe with Rainbow Chard and Beets

Though I’m not really a fan of the rainbow food trend as it invariably includes a ton of artificial food colouring, I do love the pretty red, yellow, and pink tones of the rainbow chard stems. Rainbow or Swiss chard, (as it’s also known), are hearty green leaves with an earthy flavour comparable to spinach.

Chard is slightly bitter and the stems are quite tough, so I wouldn’t recommend eating it raw. I think that the best way to prepare it is to separate the leaves from the stems (as they’re quite fibrous and tough), but don’t throw the stems away! I like to chop up the rainbow stems and give them a quick sauté in a pan with some oil, and then add the leafy greens too for about 30 seconds. This way they add a nice crunch to your dish, and cooking also takes the bitterness away.

Usually, chard is commonly used in Mediterranean and Italian cuisine, so I decided to experiment with Med-inspired flavours here. In this barley salad recipe, I used sautéd rainbow chard with some steamed beetroot (the earthy sweet flavour of beets goes wonderfully with the chard), and onions; tossed in a simple mustard vinaigrette.

I used the kasundi variety of mustard, which is the fermented Bengali mustard that has quite a pungent strong flavour, but you can always substitute with a good quality Dijon or whole grain mustard — as long as you don’t use the American “mustard sauce” you commonly find in fast food restaurants! The dressing has a bit of parsley giving it a lovely green hue, and also brings so much freshness to the salad. I topped the bowl with some toasted almonds, sweet-tart pomegranate, and a generous helping of salty Feta cheese.

VARIATIONS

If you don’t find rainbow chard in your local markets, you can substitute it with spinach, or arugula. If using arugula, skip sautéing it.
Substitute almonds with walnuts, pistachios, or pine nuts — either are delicious.
Either feta or goat cheese can be used here as the idea is to provide something creamy and salty. If vegan, omit the cheese.
To make this a heartier (and complete) meal, also add in some cooked lentils.

A quick tip: Assemble the salad just before serving rather than tossing everything together earlier as the beetroot colour will run. However if you don’t mind the colours running (the magenta looks lovely too), this salad is great to make ahead and pack for a work lunch the next day.

Barley Salad with Rainbow Chard and Beets

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

For the salad:

150g barley
2 bunches rainbow chard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, halved then sliced
1 beetroot, boiled/steamed then peeled and chopped into cubes
⅓ cup pomegranate
A handful of roughly chopped toasted almonds
50g Feta cheese, or as per liking

For the dressing:

⅓ cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon kasundi mustard (or substitute dijon mustard)
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons honey or agave
¼ cup packed parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Rinse the barley well and bring to a boil in a pot of salted water until cooked through. It should be slightly chewy and with a bite to it. Drain, and rinse under cold water to prevent the grains from sticking to each other.
To prepare the rainbow chard, separate the leaves from the stems. Chop the stems into small pieces and keep aside. Stack the leaves on top of each other, roll tightly, and slice.
Heat olive oil in a pan. Once hot, add the sliced onions and cook for a minute. Next add the chopped chard stems and cook for a couple more minutes. Finally, add the leaves and cook just until the leaves are wilted. Season and keep aside.
To make the dressing, blend all the ingredients together until it forms a smooth dressing. Taste and adjust the flavours. Add the dressing to the barley as per taste (you might not need all of the dressing). Toss to coat.
Assemble the salad. On top of the barley, layer the onions, greens, and cubed beetroot. Sprinkle the pomegranate and almonds, and finish by crumbling feta cheese on top. Serve with additional dressing on the side if desired.