- 150g pearl barley
- 50g watercress
- A bunch of radishes
- 50g dried figs
- A handful of flat leaf parsley
- A handful of mint, leaves only
- 1 lemon
- A 100g pot of Garlic & Herb Sheep's Cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Pan with a lid
- Large bowl
- Heatproof sieve or colander
- 1.
Pop the pearl barley in a pan. Pour in enough boiling water to cover it. Pop on a lid. Bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 30-35 mins till the pearl barley is tender but still with some bite.
- 2.
While the pearl barley cooks, pick any thick stalks out of the watercress so you just have the softer shoots and leaves. Slice the leaves off the radishes. Finely chop the radish leaves. Quarter or halve the radishes, depending on how large they are.
- 3.
Finely chop the dried figs. Pop them in a bowl with the watercress, radishes and radish leaves.
- 4.
Pick the leaves off the parsley and mint sprigs. Finely chop the parsley leaves and stalks and the mint leaves (discard or compost the stalks). Add all the chopped herbs to the bowl.
- 5.
Finely grate or pare the zest of the lemon. Add that to the bowl. Juice the lemon. Whisk the lemon juice with 1 tbsp olive oil and some salt and pepper to make a sharp dressing. Set aside..
- 6.
Drain the pearl barley. Rinse it under cold water to cool it, then give it a good shake to get rid of as much extra water as possible. Add the pearl barley to the bowl of veg.
- 7.
Add the lemon dressing to the bowl and stir everything together to mix it. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the tabbouleh topped with spoonfuls of the garlic and herb sheep’s cheese.
- Tip
PEARLY KINGS AND QUEENS
Save the pearl barley water to make your own homemade lemon barley water. Drain it into a jug then pour back into the pan. Add some lemon zest and juice. Add a dollop of honey if you want a sweet drink and a thumb of ginger. Simmer for a few mins, strain into glasses and drink hot or cold .