Roasted broccoli and warm pearl barley make a hearty lunch salad, with a cool lemon-yogurt dressing and crunchy sunflower seeds. Roasting the stem along with the florets gives the broccoli a variety of textures and helps reduce waste.
This salad puts broccoli centre stage as a main ingredient. Roast the florets and stem together, but cut the stem into thin slices: it’s firmer and would otherwise take longer to cook than the florets. The high oven temperature gives the edges a few browned, slightly sweet spots, while the broccoli stays tender with a little bite inside. Spread everything out well on the baking sheet; on a crowded sheet, moisture builds up and the vegetables steam rather than roast.
Pearl barley gives the salad a hearty, pleasantly chewy base. Rinse the grains before cooking and taste them towards the end of the cooking time: they should be tender but not mushy. The exact timing varies by brand, so follow the package instructions if they differ. Drain the barley well and mix it with the broccoli while still warm. That way, it absorbs some of the lemon and juices, while the yogurt-dill dressing stays cool and fresh. Don’t leave the barley sitting in the cooking water; it can go soft.
Dill and lemon give the creamy yogurt a fresh, herby flavor that goes well with the roasted edges. Zest the lemon before squeezing it, then taste the dressing: yogurt varies in thickness and tartness, so you may need an extra splash of water or lemon juice to make it easy to spoon. No dill on hand? A smaller amount of finely chopped chives or parsley works, too, though it will change the character of the sauce. The sunflower seeds add a dry, nutty crunch; toast them in a dry pan and keep them moving, as they brown quickly.
Serve the salad for lunch while the pearl barley is still warm and the dressing is cold, or let the components cool for a meal to take with you. If you do, mix in the seeds just before eating so they stay crunchy. Store leftovers covered in the fridge and eat within two days; it’s best to keep the dressing and salad separate. If needed, reheat the salad until thoroughly hot, then add the cold dressing. For a different grain base, you can use brown rice, but expect a different cooking time and a softer bite.
Preheat the oven to 220 °C (conventional). Rinse the pearl barley. Bring the water and salt to a boil, add the barley and cook until tender according to the package instructions, usually 25–30 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into florets. Peel any tough spots from the stem and cut it into slices about 5 mm thick. Toss the florets and stem on a baking sheet with the olive oil and black pepper. Roast for 18–22 minutes, until the broccoli is tender with a little bite and has browned edges in a few places.
Toast the sunflower seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Shake the pan regularly and remove the seeds as soon as they turn golden.
Stir the yogurt with the dill, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and the cold water until you have a dressing that’s easy to spoon. Taste and add more lemon juice and black pepper to taste.
Mix the warm pearl barley with the roasted broccoli and parsley. Divide between two plates, spoon the dill dressing over the top and finish with the sunflower seeds.
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