Summer Salad: Barley Salad with Roasted Tomato and Thyme
Maison Mirabeau Wines · Provencal Recipes · Salad · TasteI love grain salads, a welcome change from the heavily wheat-based French diet, and for their ability to bring a different texture and flavour without major investment in terms of time or money. I have made a simple but fundamental change in my own cooking when preparing grain—and rice-based dishes: I have increased the ratio of vegetables and herbs versus carbs.
… read more from the Mirabeau Wine Kitchen about healthy eating and this versatile barley salad.

Summer Salad: Barley Salad with Roasted Tomato and Thyme
Tender beads of barley dancing among roasted tomatoes, garlic, onions and thyme then topped with salty black olives,
Ingredients
- 6 medium (or 25 cherry) tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 sweet onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 150 gr barley
- black olives to garnish
Instructions
- Pre-set your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Get your barley cooking in plenty of salted water- it needs a good 30-40 minutes cooking time (refer to instructions on your pack) to give it a nice chewy, but not too soft texture.
- While the barley is cooking, put a generous glug of Olive Oil in a roasting tin and add the chopped sweet onion and the whole garlic clove.
- Pick thyme leaves off 2 or three sprigs and add to the oil- the more herbs the better really.
- Leave it to cook in the oven for a few minutes to let the thyme and onion flavours infuse the oil, then add the tomato chunks.
- Roast for about 15-20 minutes, you don’t want it to turn to mush, yet you want that concentration of lovely flavours and juice.
- Turn off the oven and leave it there with an open door.
- Once your barley’s cooked, rinse with hot water to stop it from sticking and add some olive oil.
- Take the tomatoes out of the oven and gradually add the barely to your roasting tin, making sure there’s enough oil and tomato juice to envelop the grains nicely.
- Season with pepper and salt to taste. I also add some chopped black olives for some extra salty texture.
- Present it in a beautiful bowl and serve it warm as part of a lunch or Mediterranean dinner, it’s also a perfect picnic dish and accompanies roasted meats beautifully.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Legal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Previous Post
The Sunflower Field a Novel set in World War II ProvenceRelated Provence Articles
Easy Entertaining a Recipe for Mediterranean Chicken with Tomatoes, Olives and Lemon
November 24, 2017
This gorgeous Mediterranean Chicken recipe was featured in Waitrose Weekend wines the other day, expertly paired by Philip Scholfield with a bottle of Pure. …
Recipe for Tomato Soupe au Pistou
November 13, 2015
Jackie shares her version of a Provencal classic soupe au pistou. In this variation, a heavier dose of tomatoes will give you a summery reminder as winter closes in. According to Jackie, All this tomato growing and preserving couldn’t go by without attempting a few new recipe ideas in the kitchen and in a departure …
Grilled Calamari and Radicchio Starter Salad
August 27, 2018
This starter salad of grilled calamari and radicchio is easy to prepare once your guests have arrived. The marinade of olive oil, garlic and herbes de Provence is light and does not overpower the ingredients. Best of all, this dish is really (almost) too pretty to eat. But, don't resist it's best consumed warm.…
Summer Pleasure: Recipe for Tarte fine aux Tomates
July 14, 2017
Sun kissed ripened tomatoes in a tarte aux tatin with a sharp Parmesan, sweet Mascarpone cheese and fresh basil spread, baked to perfection on light and flaky puff pastry.…
No Comment