Purple Grain Roasted Beet & Barley Salad

Author

The Cherry Bombe Cookbook
January 02, 2018

Purple Grain Roasted Beet & Barley Salad

Ingredients

  • 3mediumred beets

  • 1½cupsbarley

  • ½teaspoonkosher salt, plus more as needed

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • ½teaspoongranulated sugar

  • ½cuptoasted pecans, roughly chopped

  • 2tablespoonsfresh tarragon, chopped

  • 1cupdried cranberries

  • 1cupred grapes, halved

  • 1cupbalsamic vinegar

WINE PAIRING

  • Pinot Noir

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  • Wrap the beets in aluminum foil, place them on a baking sheet, and roast for 50 minutes, being sure to check them once or twice. The beets are ready when a knife slides into them easily. Remove from the oven, open the foil packet, and let cool. Peel and chop the beets and set aside.

  • Prepare the barley according to the package directions. You should end up with about 4 cups barley.Place 1 cup of the beets, ¼ cup water, the salt, some pepper, and the sugar in a blender and purée. Transfer the beet purée and the barley to a large bowl and combine thoroughly.

  • Reserve some pecans and tarragon for garnishing. Mix in the remaining beets, cranberries, grapes, pecans, and tarragon. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

  • Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add the vinegar, being mindful of any fumes. When the vinegar starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the vinegar has reduced by more than half and has a thick, syrupy consistency. Remove from the heat.

  • To serve, divide the salad among eight bowls. Drizzle each with the balsamic reduction and top with a sprinkle of tarragon and pecans.

Nutrition