CityMama™

Summer Barley-Vegetable Salad with Meyer Lemon-Miso Dressing

One of my favorite grains is barley. I love its earthy, chewiness and that as a "sturdy grain" it lends itself beautifully to soups and salads. I also love grain salads whether made with quinoa, bulgur wheat, or cous cous (okay that's a pasta and not a grain but still) and so it follows that I would love barley salads as well.

There is nothing worse than an under-seasoned grain (or pasta) salad and I think the miso adds big, bold flavor without having to add a bunch of salt. Fresh herbs also add lots of flavor. This is one of my faves and it's the perfect sunny side dish for a spring or summer day.  I make a big batch of it and keep it in the fridge for weekday lunches and snacks.

• 2 cups of pearl (not flaked) barley, soaked overnight
• extra virgin olive oil
• juice of one Meyer lemon (about 2 tbsps)

Veggies/Legumes/Herbs: (a handful or so each, use all or some):

• chopped carrots
• chopped cucumber (I like the firmer Persian cukes)
• chopped celery (celery really goes well with this)
• chopped onion
• chopped green onion
• chopped tomato
• chopped broccoli florets
• chopped sugar snap peas
• 1 can of garbanzos, drained/rinsed
• minced fresh parsley
• minced fresh basil
• 1 clove of finely minced garlic and/or shallot

Dressing:

• 2 tbsps white (shiro) miso mixed with 1 tbsp hot water
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• fresh ground pepper

Drain the soaked barley and place in a pot with enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain in colander and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain well and dump into a big bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and lemon juice, toss and set aside. Chop veggies and add to bowl. Toss.

For the dressing: Put the miso into a bowl and add hot water. Whisk or mix with a fork until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and whisk to combine. Add pepper to taste. Add dressing to barley and veggies and toss well.  Let sit at least 30 minutes to combine flavors before serving.  Keeps really well in the fridge for several days.

Photo taken with with my iPhone. I am part of the post-DSLR Revolution, are you?

Simple Fourth: Grilled Salmon, Quinoa, Herby Salad

We arrived back home last night after spending a month in Honolulu. Wallie, my toddler, wasn't feeling good on the plane ride home and awoke with a fever so we relectantly declined a BBQ invitation and decided to spend the 4th of July quietly, at home. 

Tonight's meal is my "welcome back" to Family Food after a month break.

Our menu, after a quick spin through the grocery store to restock the fridge: king salmon, lemony quinoa, and a simple salad. For the quinoa, I used 1 cup of whole wheat quinoa, a scant 2 cups of chicken broth and a frozen cube of Meyer lemon juice. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a bare simmer for about 20 minutes. Easy peasy.

P.S. Tomorrow is Bunny's birthday and she wants tacos, refried beans, and cumin-scented rice...

Creamy Chile Cheese Polenta

This is one of my kids' favorite meals. It combines everything they love to eat—cheese, corn, and polenta—in one dish. (My older daughter picks out the green chiles but my toddler eats them.) I serve this along side a green salad for an easy weeknight meal, but it could easily be a side dish for a Tex-Mex meal or an accompaniment to grilled chicken, pork, or shrimp.

CREAMY CHILE CHEESE POLENTA

• 3 cups of liquid (water, broth, milk, or a combo; I use half water, half 1% milk)
• salt
• 1 cup of polenta (not the quick cooking kind, hit up your bulk foods section of your grocery store)
• unsalted butter (I used half a stick, you can use less)
• 1 small can of roasted diced green chiles
• 1 bag of frozen corn
• 2 good handfuls of grated cheddar cheese (or whatever you like)

Preheat oven to 325º.

Bring salted liquid to boil in a medium, heavy-bottomed pan. Slowly sprinkle in the polenta while stirring constantly. This should take 5-7 minutes. (Reduce heat to low, watch out for bubbling exploding polenta.)

Stir until polenta is incorporated with the liquid then add butter. Mix well, then add the chiles and corn.

Heat that through (about 3-5 minutes) then add cheese, reserving some for the top. Remove from hear (polenta will not be cooked through, that's okay.) Stir quickly then turn the mixture out into a greased glass Pyrex dish (prefereably with a cover) or similar pan. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover (or cover tightly with foil). Bake for 35-45 minutes until mixture is bubbly.

For kids, let cool slightly before serving. For adults, pass the Cholula hot sauce.

Just about to go into the oven:

Ready to serve:

[recipe and photos: Stefania Pomponi Butler]

Garofalo Pasta at Costco (You'll thank me later)

When I saw my most favorite, only-available-in-Italy pasta at Costco last weekend, I almost fell over in astonishment.  This is the pasta that my sister hand-carried—lovingly hand-carried—back from Italy for me...  The pasta that I've been rationing and only cooking with the most special sauces because it's so divine... The pasta that I requested my cousin to bring my when he visits form Italy this summer...is now available at Costco (in Mountain View, Calif.).

Foodies, non-foodies, YOU. Run to Costco and buy it by the case. Trust me. (You trusted me before when I told you that the imported Tuscan olive oil from Costco was da bomb.) This pasta is the most delicious, chewiest, most wonderfully-textured "everyday" pasta you will ever eat.  And it's available at Costco.

I still can't believe it.

Easy sides: Barley Pilaf with Lemon and Sage

Last night I made a simple barley pilaf to go along with our roasted wild salmon. It was also delicious the next day served room temperature as a kind of grain salad.  You could even serve it atop greens or add in some chopped veggies and herbs.

BARLEY PILAF WITH LEMON AND SAGE

Inspired by an epicurious recipe.

3/4 cup pearl barley
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
2 fresh sage leaves
some olive oil
2 cups Imagine "No-chicken" chicken broth (my preference) or chicken or veggie broth
zest of half a lemon
fresh ground pepper to taste (the broth is salty enough)

In a small sauce pot, saute onion and sage leaves in olive oil over medium heat until onions are softened, about 10 minutes. Remove sage leaves. Add barley and saute for a couple of minutes to coat with oil, then add broth. Raise heat, bring to a boil, then cover and  simmer on low for 40-45 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes. Stir in lemon zest and pepper, mix well, serve. Serves 4.

[photo credit: Stefania Pomponi Butler]