Purple Prairie Barley

[Jenise]

Anyone try this before? I bought a bag in town yesterday.

Looks more like rice than barley, and is the same color purple that blue corn is with some variation in color between kernels. The label says: "One of a kind whole grain that originated in Africa 10,000 years ago. Sweet, smokey flavor. High Protein. High beta glucan. Low glycemic Index. Great in salads, soups, chili. Grinds into pastel purple flour for muffins, pancakes and bread. Grown with care by certified organic family farmers." And, "To cook: rinse, add 2 1/2 c water for each 1 cup of barley. Bring to a boil, then simmer in covered pan until tender, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Soaking overnight will reduce cooking time."

Whole Foods had one of their small sample kits of purple barley a couple of months ago, Jenise. They printed out a recipe for Tabouleh, and I used it with a main course salad.

Worked pretty well and it sure was pretty. I didn't notice any difference in taste from normal barley, though.

Purple Barley Tabouleh
Serves 4–6

* 1 cup purple barley
* 2 cups chopped tomatoes
* 2/3 cup finely chopped scallion, green and white part
* 1 cup finely chopped parsley
* 1/2 cup finely chopped mint
* 1 TB grated lemon zest
* 3 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
* sea salt, to taste
* ground pepper, to taste

Bring 21/2 cups of water to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Stir in barley and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat until tender, about 1 hour. Rinse with cool water, drain and set aside. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, scallion, parsley, mint and lemon zest. Toss in well-drained barley.

Whisk lemon juice with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad and toss to combine.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/

[Jenise]

Thanks for the recipe, Bob, a salad was the first thing I pictured when I bought this.

[Jenise]

Bob, I made a tabouleh-like salad with the purple barley yesterday. The barley itself has an interesting texture that reminded me not of pearl barley but of boiled wheat berries, and the tabouleh route is less suggested by the flavor than by the benefit of the overall softening of the salad's texture with the addition of tomatoes. It was quite delicious--thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks for the report, Jenise. I found the mouthfeel different as well, and it sure is a pretty effect. I've got both types of barley in the pantry.

Regards, Bob