Barley, Greens and Ham Salad with a Lemon-Garlic Dressing

This is a recipe adapted from Allegra McEvedy’s Economy Gastronomy, a very useful book when it comes to home economics and bursting with easy short-cut recipes. That was not an ad, just a heartfelt assertion. The gammon joint I cooked midweek adds a welcome textural and flavour counterpoint to the wholesome chewy barley, the fresh green veg and the fresh and pungent lemon garlic dressing. Simple to prep and put together, this salad keeps for around 3 days in the fridge and is great for lazy lunches, your packed lunch or a sprawling afternoon on a picnic blanket in your garden, any park or even a field.

As I adapted this from Allegra's recipe, so should you go crazy and do the same. I can see it working very well on a Monday lunchtime with some of Sunday's roast chicken mixed in, with some well drained chick peas and a teaspoon of harissa mixed in or some all-conquering chorizo finely chopped and mixed in. The key is to make sure the barley is cooked as per the instructions and that any green veg is blanched and refreshed - that way the salad will last up to 3 days. That is, if you don't eat it all straight away!

Barley, Greens and Ham Salad with a Lemon-Garlic Dressing

100g pearl barley (or spelt)
500ml stock
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped with salt to make a paste
Salt and pepper
400g green veg cut into small chuncks. Mangetout and sugar snaps can be kept whole
Juice of 1 lemon
50ml extra virgin olive oil
100g home cooked ham, diced

Bring the barley and stock to the boil, then simmer gently for about half an hour until you can see the barley through the liquid. Turn the heat right down and put a lid on until the barley is cooked. If there is still some liquid left, boil it hard until it's all gone. Take care not to let it stick to the bottom.

Once it's cooked, stir in half the garlic, season well and spread out on a plate to cool.

Rinse the pan, fill it with salted water and bring to the boil. Drop all your vegetables into it, stick a lid on and prepare a bowl of iced cold water.

When the veg  come back to the boil (2 to 3 minutes), strain and tip the blanched vegetables into the iced water . Once the veg are cool to the touch, drain.

For the dressing, mix lemon juice, olive oil ans seasoning until emulsified.

In a big bowl, mix together the barley, veg and ham with the dressing.