This chickpea and barley salad recipe salutes Morocco with ras el hanout, pistachios, dried apricots, onions, parsley and lemon.
I’ve always been a big fan of North African food and Moroccan food in particular. Moroccan culture is an ancient culture and the spice combinations and juxtaposition of sweet and savory have not changed much from a thousand years ago when these flavors dominated both Europe and the Arab world.
Everything in this salad could have been Moroccan, and the barley is something of an Amazigh twist: Barley is a mainstay of Amazigh cuisine.
Most of the ingredients for this dish are readily available, with the exception of ras el hanout. Honestly, the salad is great without it, but the addition of that beguiling blend of spices adds another layer of flavor.
What is ras el hanout? It’s the masala of Morocco. Everyone who makes ras el hanout does it differently. In general, it should contain black pepper, cardamom, chili peppers, nutmeg, mace, allspice, ginger, fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric — as well as more unusual stuff like lavender or dried rose petals.
I include a rough approximation of ras el hanout in the ingredients in case you can’t find it in a store.
You can vary a few things with this salad and still get a good result: Replace the pistachios with pine nuts or the chopped apricots with chopped dates. You can even cook your chickpeas from scratch on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker.
You can even substitute the barley whole and use something like spelt or spelt. But be sure to try this recipe as written first: you’ve probably never tried anything like it.
Chickpea and Barley Salad
ingredients
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1 1/2 cups barley
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1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (use vegetable stock for the vegan version)
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1 1/2 cups water
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1 teaspoon of salt
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Extra virgin olive oil
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1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked
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1 cup shelled pistachios
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1 cup diced dried apricots
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2-3 chopped green onions or green onions
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1 cup chopped parsley
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zest and juice of one lemon
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1 tablespoon ras el hanout spice mix, store bought or homemade (see below)
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Salt to taste
- Ras El Hanout Spice Blend:
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1 teaspoon of black pepper
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1 teaspoon cardamom
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1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
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1/4 teaspoon ginger
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1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
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1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
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1/2 teaspoon turmeric
method
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Cook barley:
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the barley and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add broth, water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer and simmer until the barley is tender, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on how old the barley is.
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Strain the barley, toss with olive oil:
Pass the cooked barley through a sieve or colander and run cold water over it to cool it quickly. Pour and mix the strainer to strain out as much water as possible.
Place the barley on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over it. Mix to coat well and set aside.
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Combine salad ingredients:
In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, pistachios, apricots, scallions, and parsley and mix well.
Add the zest and juice of the lemon and mix again.
Add the barley and mix.
Sprinkle the ras el hanout spice mix over the barley and mix well. Taste and salt if necessary.
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Marinate before serving:
Let the salad marinate for about an hour before serving. When the barley has absorbed all the olive oil, drizzle a little more on top just before serving.
