How to make purple sprouting broccoli and barley salad with buttermilk dill dressing

Salads may say summer but they’re welcome in winter too.

They’re even better if you can do much of the prep ahead of time.

For this salad, you can cook the pearl barley earlier in the day, mix with the chickpeas and preserved lemon and stash in the fridge.

Wait to add the purple sprouting broccoli (it tends to dye things a rather lurid purple), herbs and nuts, until you’re ready to serve.

The dressing can be made the day before and kept in a clean glass jar in the fridge.

While dill is a natural herb for the dressing, you could use chopped chives or basil instead.

Serve the salad as a vegetarian main course or with a piece of fish or chicken as a hearty side.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

200g purple sprouting broccoli
200g pearl barley
400g tin chickpeas, drained
30g preserved lemon, about 1 small 
small bunch of parsley, chopped
small bunch of chives, chopped
50g hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Dressing

150ml buttermilk
½ tsp white wine vinegar
¼ tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp sugar (optional)
small bunch dill, about 1 tbsp chopped
salt

Cut off the bottom bit of the stem end of the purple sprouting broccoli. Blanch in boiling, salted water for a few minutes until just tender.

Drain and refresh under cold water. Set aside on a clean tea towel or a few sheets of kitchen towel to dry.

Rinse the barley under cold water, place in a pot, and fill with water. Add salt, bring to a boil and simmer until the barley is tender to the bite – about 12-15 minutes. While the barley is cooking, make the dressing. Whisk together all of the ingredients, taste and season generously with salt.

Drain the barley and place in a mixing bowl. Add the drained chickpeas, purple sprouting broccoli, chopped parsley and chives and hazelnuts.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and turn out on to a serving platter. Serve with the rest of the dressing on the side.

@juliapleonard