I’ve been going through a hearty salad obsession for the past month or so, I think it’s my own culinary method of chasing the grey and perpetually dripping winter away. That is to say, if my food is bright and fresh tasting then the cold exterior seems less of a a constant looming cloud. Winter is also an excellent time to make salads on a regular basis because it forces you to get creative with your ingredients due to a lack of summer vegetables, or at least ones that taste delicious while out of season. The first time I made a variation of this Roasted Jalapeno and Sweet Pepper Barley Salad I was unconvinced that it would taste as delicious as it does. I’m enamoured with each of the ingredients on their own, and in combination with any of their fellow recipe ingredients, but the barley kept throwing me off. In my mind barley had always paired spectacularly with rich, savoury and earthy flavours in soup or faux risotto form. The barley is actually an ideal vehicle for the other ingredients, light and chewy and extremely simple to prepare. I’m so glad I took a chance with this salad, because it is now easily one of my top 3 favourite salads to make.  The roasted peppers give an intense smoky and spicy sweetness to the salad while the lime juice perks up the overall taste in a way that makes you swear this salad time traveled from someone’s backward barbeque in July. For a heartier salad add diced avocado and thinly sliced roasted portobello mushrooms.

roasted jalapeno and sweet pepper barley salad:

3/4 cup of pearl barley

3 sweet peppers, cut in half vertically

1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and cut in half from tip to tail

1 cup of grape tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 small bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

5 scallions, both white and green parts finely chopped

2 limes, juiced

3 Tbsp. fruity olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a lidded saucepan toast the dry barley over medium-high heat, this should take about 5 minutes stirring frequently (you will be able to smell it beginning to take on a nuttier aroma at this point.) Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil, covering and cooking over reduced heat for 25-35 minutes depending on the particular batch of barley you’re using. Once the barley is cooked take off the heat and stir in 1 Tbsp. olive oil and leave to cool with the lid off.

2. Meanwhile, as the barley is cooking place all of your peppers cut-side down on parchment paper or aluminum foil and roast for 20 minutes or until the skin on the peppers is quite blackened. Once they are roasted take them out of the oven put them all in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes to steam.

3. Remove the charred skins off of all the peppers and chop finely, add the peppers and any juices that accumulated while steaming or chopping to the cooled barley. Stir in the grape tomatoes, scallions and cilantro before topping with the remaining olive oil, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix carefully with a spatula and serve cold or at room temperature.

Holopaw is perfect warming all over music for January, each song feels small and intimate and quietly glowing. There’s something about this particular song that I have been in love with since this album debuted, it sounds poetic and safe at the same time – like being held tightly in a reassuring embrace.

Holopaw – Igloo Glass