Ingredients (4-5 portions):
- 200 g pearl barley
- 1.5 l water
- 50 g olive oil
- Juice and peel from one lemon
- 2-3 pinches of cinnamon
- Salt and pepper
- 2 medium-sized cucumbers diced
- 1 l frying oil
- 350 g thinly sliced shallots or red onions
- 100 g almonds
- 1 small cauliflower
- 2-3 spoons of potato starch
- Seeds carved from 3 pomegranates
- big handful of chopped dill
Boil pearl barley in boiling water until tender. Rinse with water, pass through a sieve and add salt. Blend olive oil with lemon peel and juice, cinnamon and pepper. Mix the sauce with slightly warm pearl barley and cucumber. Put aside. Heat oil to 110 degrees and fry shallots until crispy for about 20 minutes. Strain through fine sieve and drain the excess oil onto paper towel. Re-heat the strained oil, this time to 160 degrees and fry almonds for about 2-3 minutes, making sure they do not burn. Pass through sieve and sprinkle with salt. Divide cauliflower into florets, rub with potato starch mixed with two pinches of salt and fry in oil heated to 180 degrees for about a minute. Remove excess oil.
Divide the pearl barley mix onto 4-5 plates, sprinkle with almonds, pomegranate, crispy shallot and chopped dill.
Recipe: Mickey Rotten, photos: USTA magazine
