Barley, vegetable and fruit salad with hazelnut oil and fresh thyme

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole barley, hulled
• 3 cups filtered water
• a pinch of whole sea salt
• a piece of kombu, 2 cm long
• 1 small red, round radicchio, outer leaves removed, cored, rinsed, dried and thinly sliced
• 8 fresh champignon mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 3-4 handfuls of white grapes, rinsed, cut into halves and seeded
• 3-4 handfuls raisins, soaked in natural mineral or filtered water for 10 minutes then drained and pat dried
• juice of 1 lemon
• 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• whole sea salt, just enough to taste
• hazelnut oil, just enough to taste
• fresh thyme, to taste

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Preparation

• Wash the barley thoroughly and soak it for about 8 hours in filtered water. Transfer the barley into a heavy-bottomed saucepan , add fresh filtered water or you may even keep the soaking water but make sure you add the right quantity, as indicated in the recipe.
• Add the salt and the kombu, cover and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and cook with the lid on until most of the water has been absorbed, without stirring as you don’t want to alter the cooking process.
• The barley should get tender in 45-55 minutes (if you are using a pressure cooker, cooking time will be 25-30 minutes). Remove the kombu (you can let it dry and use it a second time).
• Drain if necessary (although there should be no water left in the saucepan), transfer into a large salad bowl, drizzle with half of the olive oil, toss and let cool completely.
• To assemble the salad, add the radicchio, the champignons, the grapes, the raisins and the lemon to the barley.
• Mix well, sprinkle with the remaining oil and the salt, then top with a drizzle of hazelnut oil and the fresh thyme. Serve immediately.