Bar Tartine’s Wedge Salad With Buttermilk, Barley & Sprouts
Serves 4 to 6 Adapted from “Bar Tartine: Techniques & Recipes,” by Cortney Burns and Nicolaus Balla (Chronicle Books, 2014), winner of a James Beard Award. The recipe calls for several different fresh herbs — feel free to vary those according to availability and taste. Note that the dressing, sprouts and barley can be prepared ahead. You will have about 1⁄3 of the dressing left over; save it for another use.
Buttermilk Dressing
1⁄3 cup sour cream
1⁄3 cup kefir or regular buttermilk
1⁄3 cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried dill
½ green serrano chile, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ bunch fresh chives, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
1 teaspoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme
½ teaspoon minced fresh marjoram
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste ½ to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper
Salad
1 cup pearl barley
3 cups water
Kosher salt
¼ cup fresh lemon juice 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more
to garnish 1 bunch radishes, trimmed and thinly
sliced 1 kohlrabi or small daikon radish, peeled
and cut into thin half-moons 2 Tokyo turnips, peeled and thinly sliced
(optional)
1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced ½ cup mung bean sprouts or other bean
sprouts (see “How to sprout beans”) ½ cup lentil sprouts or other bean sprouts
(see “How to sprout beans”) 1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into 4 to 6
wedges through the core Leaves from ¼ bunch each: fresh dill,
chervil, flat-leaf parsley Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to
taste
To make the dressing: In a medium bowl,
whisk together all of the ingredients. (Can be
refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1
week.)
To make the salad: In a medium saucepan over
medium-high heat, combine the barley, water
and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to
low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until
all of the liquid has been absorbed and the
barley is tender, 30-40 minutes. Turn the barley
out onto a baking sheet and spread in an even
layer to cool. (The cooled barley can be refriger-
ated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.)
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon
juice, the 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and
2 teaspoons kosher salt.
In a large bowl, combine the cooled barley
with the radishes, kohlrabi, turnips (if using),
fennel, mung bean sprouts and lentil sprouts.
Add 1⁄3 cup of the lemon juice mixture and toss
to coat evenly.
Put the lettuce wedges in a separate large
bowl and moisten them with the remaining
lemon juice mixture, making sure it seeps into
the crevices of each wedge. Season the wedges
with salt.
Arrange the iceberg wedges on individual
salad plates or on a serving platter. Pour about
2⁄3 of the buttermilk dressing over the wedges,
then distribute the barley mixture evenly over
the wedges, allowing the ingredients to fall
naturally over the top and onto the plate.
(Save the remaining dressing for another use.)
Garnish with the dill, chervil, parsley and more
olive oil. Season with sea salt and freshly
ground pepper; serve right away.
Per serving: 385 calories, 7 g protein, 38 g
carbohydrates, 24 g fat (5 g saturated), 9 mg
cholesterol, 245 mg sodium, 9 g fiber.