Barley salad with orange and chicken

You can find the cake recipe at the bottom of the article. It is inspired by a Greek cooking class and is baked with Greek yogurt or light cream.

Barley salad with orange and chicken

Tip: Salmon or other solid fish (boiled or fried), cleaned shrimp or canned/boiled chickpeas can be substituted for the chicken in this salad.

This is what you need:

• 2 dl barley groats
• 1-2 pieces of chicken fillet
• 2 dl barley groats, 5 dl water for boiling + 1 tsp everything
• 1-2 boiled carrots
• 2-3 spring onions
• ½ to 1 teaspoon finely chopped red chili
• ⅕ teaspoon of fresh grated ginger
• 1-2 oranges
• Oil for frying

Here’s how you do it.

Rinse the barley groats in cold running water (use a sieve). Put barley groats, water and salt in a pot. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the barley groats are soft. If there is any water left in the saucepan, drain the water using a strainer.

Boil the carrots in strips until they are barely tender.

If you want to make a salad with chicken, cut the chicken fillets into thin strips and fry in oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper or other seasoning of your choice. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes with finely chopped scallions and maybe a finely chopped chilli, until the chicken strips are cooked through. Add the slightly boiled carrot, mix and season with salt, pepper and, if necessary, finely grated fresh ginger.

Want to make a salad without meat? Fry good drained chickpeas in a pan with a little oil. Sprinkle some smoked paprika powder on top and add lightly cooked carrot, spring onion, chilli and spices as described below in the recipe.

Cut the peel off the orange to remove the white membranes. Cut out the fillets/boats between the membranes. Squeeze the juice left in the orange onto the fried chicken, possibly onto the chickpeas. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and break up the orange fillets. Season with salt, pepper and fresh coriander or other fresh herbs. Serve with boiled barley groats.

Orange shaped cake

Spread with butter approx. 1 l of oil. If necessary, cover the base with a strip of baking paper that covers the shorter side of the mold.

This is what you need:

• 3 eggs
• 1 dl rapeseed oil or other neutral oil (we used mild, i.e. olive oil with little taste, in the cooking course)
• 3 dl Greek/thick yogurt or light sour cream
• 150 g of sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons of finely grated orange peel (only the orange peel, the white under the peel has a slightly bitter taste. Wash the orange well under running cold water, dry it before grating the orange peel)
• ½ dl of squeezed orange juice
• 250 g wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar or vanilla bean seeds
• If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving

Lake for soaking after roasting:

• About. ½ dl orange juice, flavored with 1 ½ – 2 dl powdered sugar (depending on how sweet the oranges are)

Here’s how you do it.

Heat the oven to 175 degrees. Beat the eggs, oil, yogurt, sugar and salt. Add finely grated cream and orange juice. Mix together the wheat flour, baking powder and vanilla seeds/sugar. Sift into the dough and gently turn it with a spatula into a smooth dough. Fill the dough into the mold and bake on the bottom rail for approx. 50 minutes. Check with a toothpick after 45 minutes.

While the cake is baking, prepare the sheet for soaking. In a saucepan, lightly whisk together the orange juice and powdered sugar. Heat gently, do not boil, until the powdered sugar has dissolved.

Take the cooked cake out of the oven. While the cake is still in the tin, poke small holes in the cake with a wooden stick. Use a spoon and spread the sheet little by little on the cake. The cake may feel sticky, but refrigerate for at least 5-6 hours/night. The sheet has then retracted into the cake and the cake is set and ready to be removed from the pan. Store in the cake tin in the fridge. Stays well and heals only after 2-3 days. Keeps in the fridge for 8-10 days. Tolerates freezing well.