Barley and Pomegranate Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup pearl barley
8 celery stalks (leaves reserved)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 teaspoon ground allspice
salt, pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
seeds from 2 large pomegranates
1 crisp apple (Fuji, Macintosh, Granny Smith)

Rinse the barley in cold water. Place in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Simmer for 30-35 minutes, until tender but with a bite (think al dente pasta).

Dice the celery stalks, and reserve the celery leaves.
Mince the garlic cloves.

Drain the barley and transfer to a large bowl. Add the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, celery, allspice, and salt and pepper and mix until well-coated. Let the barley mix cool.

Cut the top and bottoms off the pomegranates, then make shallow cuts into and around the pomegranate skin, following the guide of the white membranes (meaning cut into the white parts, not the sections with seeds), to make quarters. Split open the pomegranate and place in a large bowl filled with water. Use your hands to loosen the seeds, under the water to minimize staining. Remove the white pith membranes and drain the seeds.

Chop the apple into a small dice, removing the seeds.

Roughly chop the dill and parley.

Add the pomegranate seeds, celery leaves, chopped dill and parsley, and apple to the barley, and mix to combine. Marvel at the colors, and then enjoy!

Slightly modified from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi (http://firsttimefoods.com/barley-and-pomegranate-salad)