Pearl Barley

Last night for a quick dinner, I cooked marinated Spatchcock (pre marinated in parsley, lemon and garlic) and oven baked them on a bed of zucchini, chinese cabbage roughly chopped, cherry tomatoes, Swiss Brown mushrooms, dried chilli flakes, salt and pepper, chopped garlic and chopped Italian parsley - splashed with extra virgin olive oil.  I also steamed some Brussells Sprouts, then chopped them in half and cooked in extra virgin olive oil till browned - then squeezed lemon juice and added black pepper.  My favourite!  I wanted something on the side and found this Orzo Perlato (Pearl Barley) made by Sala Cereali in my pantry. I think I bought this at Hudson Meats in Lane Cove, Sydney.

I cooked it in chicken stock, with lots of black pepper, and added peas at the last moment.  The barley was so plump and soft, like an Arborio rice - really delicious.  If you can find this brand, I would definitely recommend it - much preferable to the 'soup' barley you often see in the supermarkets.