Smoked chicken, pot barley & cranberry salad
This is very American. The first time I visited I ate endless delicious salads based on wild rice dressed with a maple vinaigrette. Pot barley makes a much better base as it’s less chewy than wild rice. If you can’t find smoked chicken you can use regular chicken (I sometimes cook it with mini breast fillets). Smoked duck or seared and roasted duck breast (cooked until still pink) are lovely in it, too.
SERVES 4-6 PREP 25 mins plus overnight soaking and cooling COOK 20 mins EASY 200g pot barley, soaked overnight, or pearl barley
50g dried cranberries
200g green beans, halved 1 red-skinned pear
½ lemon, juiced
50g pecans, lightly toasted 50g lamb’s lettuce small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
250g smoked chicken, sliced or torn into chunks
For the dressing
1½ tbsp cider vinegar
3 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 4 tbsp hazelnut or walnut oil
1 Put the soaked pot barley in a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil, or cook the pearl barley following pack instructions. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until the barley is tender but retains a little firmness, about 10-15 mins. Drain and leave to cool completely. Meanwhile, put the cranberries in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to plump up for 20 mins. 2 Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together with a fork. Taste for balance – it should be slightly sweet. Add more vinegar or maple syrup, if you like. 3 Cook the beans in boiling water for 1-2 mins or until they’re tender but still have a little bite. Drain and run cold water over them to help them keep their bright colour. Drain the cranberries and pat them dry with a tea towel. Core, quarter and slice the pear, then toss the slices with the lemon juice.
4 Put the drained barley, beans, cranberries, pear, pecans, lamb’s lettuce, parsley and chicken into a broad, shallow serving bowl with the dressing. Gently toss everything together and serve.
GOOD TO KNOW 1 of 5-a-day
PER SERVING 423 kcals • fat 22g • saturates 3g • carbs 41g • sugars 12g • fibre 3g • protein 13g • salt 1.2g