Mediterranean Barley Salad

What to do with a giant bag of pearled barley that’s not boring like, well, barley? Why, make a salad, of course! Seriously though, I think the best way to handle a grain you might not be too familiar with would be to try it in a salad application first. Not because everything tastes better drenched in dressing, but because you can see what a grain is worth by how it plays with other ingredients, instead of as a lonesome mound next to your chicken.Simmer a cup of barley in 3 cups water for about 35 minutes, drain and cool, then toss with chickpeas, diced red pepper, olives, arugula, and a lemony vinaigrette with some crushed red pepper flakes…easy. A hearty grain can also stand up to bold flavors, like a tangy cheese or a tart dressing (I’m toying with a version that uses pineapple juice). Serve with just about anything (except plain barley).

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Fish Wednesdays: Tuna

Remember that resolution I made about eating fish once a week? Well, maybe that was a bit ambitious. Perhaps I should have dialed back a bit and vowed just to eat more fish, any fish, good fish. I believe my second resolution was not to be hard on myself for not following resolutions, so I think I’m in the clear here. Let’s call this an occasional fish excursion for now, hopefully to become a regular excursion soon.

And I cheated you in another way. I didn’t even buy this fish. It was leftover from a tasting at Cooking Light, and I snatched it up as soon as I was given permission (not that that would have stopped me). It would have been thrown out otherwise! And tuna is expensive! And no one said (legal) thievery wasn’t apart of cooking on a budget…

To cook the tuna, get a skillet screaming hot, season your tuna steak with salt and pepper, and sear 2-3 minutes on each side. It MUST be raw in the middle (otherwise, you might as well by canned). The contrast of textures here–crisp coating, cool, meaty center, is just fantastic. Throw on a salad with some greens, tomatoes, and goat cheese, a little mustard vinaigrette, and you’ve got a perfect (admittedly pilfered) dinner.

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Flank Steak Salad

I love that some of my best meals I’ve cooked for one haven’t been cooked at all. Again, it’s all about stellar ingredients. Farmer’s market arugula, tomatoes, and goat cheese. Flank steak I marinated and grilled in my meat processing class at culinary school, a squeeze of lemon…healthy, delicious, about as time consuming as washing a vegetable.I wish everyone could take a couple culinary school classes at some point. The chef just demystifies every ingredient you’ve ever been afraid of (meat is right up there for us budget-conscious folks). Each group got a 2 pound flank that we marinated in balsamic vinegar, garlic, dried oregano, and rosemary. We got some great grill marks and finished them in the oven–flank is best at medium rare, about 120 degrees when you first take it out of the oven, slightly springy to the touch. Let rest and cut against the grain, at a diagonal into long, thin strips. Easy, impressive, always good.

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