Pearl Barely with Round Zucchini & Cherry Tomatoes
It's hardly probable that you will find me preparing any dishes from expensive or exclusive ingredients... That's just not my style! Which I think is fine... There are a gazillion other people out there making beautiful and awe-inspiringly creative and phenomenal dishes. Me? I just want to make myself some supper!!!
The fact of the matter is, I prefer the simple things, I prefer the simple preparations thereof and I like to think that appreciating the more modest ingredients is a more honest and reasonable approach to eating. Let's leave those exclusive and wonderful things for special occasions, or to share with friends, what say?
In my honest and humble opinion- and not simply because this is a dish that I prepared... I think that this looks wonderfully appetizing! And yet, it cost less than a carry-out burger to make and was enough for 2 people.
And this is absolutely my motivation! To make something truly enjoyable from nothing... To make people's mouths water at the sight of something they would normally not even consider eating. Yes, and it is also a great deal of satisfaction that it brings... As well as some tasty supper of course- first and foremost!
And you can't get much more modest than this! 2 small, round zucchini, 2 cups of pearl barely, 1 spring onion, 9-10 cherry tomatoes, some fresh parsley, a little vegetable stock, salt, pepper and a little olive oil... Very, very simple as I said!
I had considered stuffing these littl beauties, as one so often does... But they were indeed small and so I re-thought my plans and came up with an even easier preparation that worked wonderfully! And best of all... It was all done in one little pot!
I began by halving and then scooping out the centers of the zucchini, chopping the interiors into a fine dice and sautéing them together with the finely sliced spring onion in a good splash of olive oil.
After 2-3 minutes, I then added the barley and also stirred it in, so as to get it nicely coated in oil, similarly tomth way you would coat the rice to make a risotto.
I then added the cherry tomatoes, which I simply cut into quarters and added enough vegetable stock to cover everything up completely. I brought it up to the boil, then reduced it to a low simmer to bubble away for the next 10 minutes, with the lid on.
After that time, I added a good pinch of chopped parsley.
I then set the zucchini, cut into quarters, decoratively on top and added a little water... Because then I left everything simmering away for a further 15 minutes with the lid on.
All it needed before serving, was a generous grind of black pepper and a last drizzle of olive oil... And then I was ready to serve and to enjoy with no further ado!
Good, mild, country flavors... No fussing, no frills, just honest to goodness and down to earth food!
And what more could you possibly need than that?
I love the chewy texture of the barley and combination of the fruity tomato and mild zucchini... It is absolutely everything that you need and more!
But talking of more... Let's have another spoonful, being as it looks so good tastes even better!
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