Smoked Barley Salad with Beets and Grapefruit

Big fan of salads, right here. Love my leafy greens. Homemade dressing is the bomb, and the endless options for salad mix-ins makes me giddy. So it’s kind of surprising that I’ve never had beet greens in a salad before this little Smoked Barley, Beets and Grapefruit number came into my life. They’re good! Beet greens are as pretty as can be with red veins and stems running through, they taste a little bitter, and the leaves hold up quite well to the simple, slightly sweet vinaigrette.

This recipe brought more than a few surprises in addition to the beet greens discovery, all of them good.

• Grains first: You smoke the barley – indoors! On the stovetop! Much easier than it sounds.
• Veggies and fruit together. This happens all the time: spinach salad with strawberries; anything green with a tomato on top. Yet it’s a tiny bit edgy when we’re talking beets and grapefruit.
• Do-ahead: The recipe offered no make-ahead guidance, but I found it easy enough to prepare everything the day before, refrigerate as separate elements, and assemble the salad shortly before serving.

Continue reading for the recipe, photos, and a really cool song that is a pun-tastic pairing for this tasty salad.

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Here’s another surprise, this one musical: Last week we celebrated the birthday of reggae superstar Bob Marley. Well, today let’s celebrate this salad with a tune from Irish folk/reggae act The Barley Mob.

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Click the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Printable Recipe- Smoked Barley, Beet & Grapefruit Salad
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Smoked Barley, Beet and Grapefruit Salad
Recipe Source: Ann Taylor Pittman via Cooking Light Magazine
Cook’s notes provided by Ann Johnson
 
Note: Using whole grain barley makes a big difference in taste, texture and health benefits. Look for hulled barley, not the more commonly-found pearled barley. I finally found it at Whole Foods in the bulk section.
 
INGREDIENTS:

• Cooking spray
• ½ cup cherry or apple wood chips
• 2 cups cooked whole-grain hulled barley (about 2/3 cup uncooked grains)
• NOTE: Here’s a simple recipe for cooking barley, with variances for whole-grain vs pearled barley.
• 6 medium beets with greens
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 4 teaspoons honey
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large pink or ruby red grapefruits, peeled and sectioned

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Pierce 10 holes on one side of the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch disposable aluminum foil pan.
• NOTE: I recommend using a larger pan in order to spread out the barley for even smoking.
• Coat pan with cooking spray.
• Arrange wood chips over holes in pan. Spread barley on opposite side of pan.
• Place hole side of pan over stovetop burner. When wood chips start to smoke, carefully cover pan with foil. Turn burner to medium-high; smoke 2-3 minutes.
• NOTE: Be sure to set your vent on high and/or open a window or two. The smoke will be intense for a few minutes.
• Carefully uncover. Spoon barley into a colander. Rinse and drain barley under cold water; drain well.
• NOTE: I like to help the barley (or other grains like rice) dry out by a placing a double-layer of paper towels on a baking sheet, then spreading the barley on top. Let air dry.
• ALSO NOTE: I recommend doing the barley process the day before, giving the smoky smell a chance to dissipate.
• Trim beets, reserving greens.
• Wash beet greens, then remove tough stems. Tear the greens to equal 6 cups, dry very well in a salad spinner or with towels, and set aside.
• NOTE: I did this step the day before.
• Scrub beets clean but don’t peel. Wrap 3 beets together in a large piece of microwave-safe parchment paper; make another packet with remaining 3 beets. Microwave packets together at HIGH for 8-9 minutes or until tender; unwrap and cool slightly.
• NOTE: The packets will leak and leave blood red liquid on your microwave carousel; good idea to use a plate underneath or just be prepared.
• Remove skins from beets; cut each beet into 8 wedges. Place beet wedges in a small bowl.
• NOTE: I microwaved and peeled the beets the day before, keeping them intact overnight. About 2 hours before serving, I cut the beets into wedges and added the vinaigrette, as will be described in a later step.)

​OFFICIAL RECIPE SAYS: Combine oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle 1 tablespoon vinaigrette over beet wedges; toss to coat. Add barley and beet greens to bowl with remaining vinaigrette. Toss gently to coat. Arrange barley mixture in a serving bowl; top with beets and grapefruit sections.

ANN’S NOTE: The official version works well when you’re making the salad to serve immediately. I wanted to make ahead one day and serve the next, doing nothing but assembling the ingredients at the last minute.  

• Day before: Prep and store the greens. Roast and peel the beets; store in fridge. Make the vinaigrette – you don’t even need a whisk, just get a jar with a tight lid and shake, shake, shake. Cook the barley; smoke it; rinse, drain and dry it, then store it. Prep the grapefruits and segment them; store in their juice but strain the segments before adding to the salad.
• Couple hours before serving time: Cut beets into wedges and toss with 1-2 tablespoons of vinaigrette.
• At serving time: Toss the greens with barley and a few tablespoons of vinaigrette, more or less to taste. Place greens and grains on a serving platter, or individual salad plates. Top with beet wedges and grapefruit sections. Drizzle another tablespoon of dressing over the top. Pass extra vinaigrette at the table.