Today’s 5-ingredient recipe is one that makes use of two healthy ingredients I’ve been wanting to cook with more: pearl barley and squid. It’s a simple midweek dinner that also feels a bit fancy despite being ready in half an hour. It’s also very well suited to eating in the sun outside, so I’m glad I’m getting it to you this week. Hope you enjoy it!

Lately I’ve been trying to eat healthier dinners. Maybe becoming a Mum has made me want to eat my way to a longer life, to ensure I get the joy of watching my child grow for as long as possible? Or perhaps it’s just that I have been mainlining cakes and biscuits and (in the depths of winter) eating an unhinged amount of pie, as I recipe tested for this here newsletter. It’s only natural that on the other hand I know my dinners need to make up for all that sugar and butter…

Pearl barley is an ingredient I have long been meaning to ‘get into’. I’ve had it on my list of ingredients to explore recipes with for a really long time because its nutty chewiness is so appealing and satisfying. As a kid, I used to enjoy it in my Grandma’s vegetable soup, so I’ve always known it’s something I enjoy, but I didn’t realise quite how versatile a grain it is.

In this recipe, I’ve paired it with another ingredient I’ve been trying to eat more of: squid. That old cephalopod mollusk with eight arms, two tentacles and big old eyes. As a breastfeeding woman I’m trying to eat more protein and squid is surprisingly high in the stuff – 80% of its nutritional make up is protein. It’s also really reasonably priced and very quick to cook.

On my favourite weekend radio show, Radcliffe and Maconie, during the well-known ‘Crisps on the Radio’ slot, a spicy squid flavour packet of crisps recently hit the booth. Stuart Maconie was not a fan, and asked why anyone would want to eat squid when they could have a steak? For me, one good reason is that steak doesn’t have tentacles. Personally, I enjoy tentacles for their uniquely satisfying texture. Plus, I enjoy that squid brings a holiday vibe to anything it touches. It is the opposite of run-of-the-mill. It ticks a lot of boxes for me.

If you don’t like squid, I understand. You can switch it out for any fillets of firm fish, or for mushrooms if you a vegetarian. I find the combination of leeks and tomatoes endlessly appealing, they bring out each other’s sweetness and umami like old, uncomplicated friends. To that solid foundation, we add harissa for spice, warmth and seasoning. The job is done!

Harissa Pearl Barley with Squid

3 tbsp olive oil
1 leek
150g cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp harissa (I used Belazu’s rose harissa)
150g pearl barley
1 medium-large squid, or 2 smaller squid (or use 2 small fillets of firm white fish / 200g mushrooms)
A lemon wedge, to squeeze over (optional)

1. In a small saucepan, on a medium/low heat, cook 150g pearl barley in 550ml boiling water with a lid on for 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain if needed – but the liquid should be soaked up (it will depend on your pan/lid).

2. Meanwhile dice up your leek roughly and heat up a cast iron pan or heavy-bottomed pot. Sautée the leek in 2 tbsp olive oil, for 3-4 minutes, stirring well, then add the whole cherry tomatoes. Cook for 4 more minutes until the vegetables are beginning to char.

3. Now add the squid to the vegetables and allow it to char a little, cooking for 2-3 minutes before stirring through the 1 tbsp harissa and 50ml water. Stir 2 tbsp harissa through the cooked pearl barley, then plate everything up with the pearl barley on the bottom and the squid stew on top. Season with plenty of salt and pepper and lemon juice.

1 year ago… Savoury Hong Kong-style French Toast with Devan Grimsrud
2 years ago… The Best Nachos
3 years ago… Vietnamese Sour Fish Soup