Barley and spelt salad: a healthy and tasty recipe

Today we will describe a perfect one-meal dish for the summer that also works as a delicious side dish throughout the year. Before moving on to the recipe, three useful tips to prepare this quick and simple salad.

1) Barley and spelt: choose wisely.

Both spelt and barley are available on the market in two versions:

• Hulled: the whole grain version, which requires soaking for 12 hours and at least 1-hour cooking.
• Pearled: the more refined version, where the external coating is removed. There is no need for soaking and it cooks in about 20 minutes.

In order to save time, we recommend using pearled cereals to prepare the farro and barley salad.

• Spelt usually does not need to be washed before use (however, always read the instructions you find on the package).
• Barley, on the other hand, always needs to be washed, to prevent it from taking on an unpleasant gelatinous texture.

Both cereals should be cooked by placing them directly in a pot filled with cold water.

2) Broad beans: choose fresh ones.

From March to July we recommend that you buy fresh broad beans which will give an extra touch of flavor to your spelt and barley salad.

• Before buying the fresh beans, make sure that the pod is shiny and firm (if you press it should break with a snap).
• To remove the beans from the pod, break it in two and slide your thumb downwards.
• Remove the small growth that looks like a sprout and the thin skin that covers the beans.
• At this point, the beans will be ready for use.

3) Asparagus: eat it raw.

Another fundamental ingredient of our farro and barley soup with vegetables is asparagus: if you can, buy wild asparagus, which is normally more tender and tastier. Otherwise, regular garden asparagus will do just fine.

Before buying your asparagus, pay attention to these small details:

• The tip should be firm and straight.
• The scale-like leaflets on the top must be tight together.
• The spears must be firm, unblemished and have a nice round shape.
• When bent, the stem should not flex easily, but it should snap.

Remember to rinse the asparagus spears under running water to remove any residual soil, and leave them for a few minutes to soak in water and bicarbonate. Rinse them and dry them well.

One last tip before tackling the recipe: the farro and barley salad should be seasoned exclusively with extra virgin olive oil, the healthy and light solution for all salads.

We recommend Il Casolare Farchioni, obtained from a variety of olives whose typically fruity flavor will be retained by the oil. Il Casolare is dark green and its aroma is extremely balanced. It is ideal for dressings.