Warm Roasted Carrot and Barley Salad

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Updated Nov. 27, 2023

Warm Roasted Carrot and Barley Salad
Beatriz Da Costa for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(1,052)
Comments
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There is something very exciting about transforming a simple bunch of carrots into a deeply flavorful and satisfying weeknight meal. Carrots are given a lot of love here: Leaving the skin on adds texture, slicing them into thin batons ensures that they cook quickly and evenly, and drizzling them with honey right out of the oven amplifies their natural sweetness. A sprinkle of lemon zest adds brightness. Ras el hanout, a North African spice blend, means “head of the shop” in Arabic as it was often one of the best mixes a vendor had to offer. Its fragrant blend of coriander, cumin, ginger, clove and turmeric brings warmth and richness to the tahini. The perfect chew of pearl barley is so gratifying in this dish, but for even more flavor, cook your barley in stock.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 1cup pearled barley
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2pounds carrots, washed, trimmed and cut into 3-inch-long, a scant ½-inch-wide batons
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2teaspoons runny honey, such as clover honey
  • ½teaspoon fresh lemon zest (from ½ lemon)
  • 2cups arugula
  • A handful of parsley
  • ¼cup toasted sliced almonds

    • For the Spiced Tahini

    • ¼cup tahini
    • 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from ½ lemon)
    • 1teaspoon ras el hanout
    • 1small garlic clove, grated
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

326 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 510 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees and place a rack on the lowest shelf. In a medium saucepan, combine barley with 4 cups water; season with ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. If the barley hasn’t absorbed all of the water, drain off the excess.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, place the carrots on a sheet pan, drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat, spreading into an even layer. Season with salt and pepper. Place on the bottom oven rack and roast until tender and starting to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss and return to the oven for 5 to 7 minutes until completely tender.

  3. Step 3

    While the carrots roast, make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, ras el hanout, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is smooth and has a pourable consistency.

  4. Step 4

    When the carrots are ready, remove them from the oven, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with lemon zest. Season with a pinch of salt and toss to coat.

  5. Step 5

    In a serving bowl, combine the carrots with the barley, arugula and parsley. Drizzle with the spiced tahini and sprinkle with almonds.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,052 user ratings
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Comments

Caroline Robertson

Ras El Hanout is a Middle Eastern spice blend. If you can't obtain it, take some cumin seeds, dry fry & crush them. You'll also need a little heat; chilli flakes/powder would do, plus a little turmeric. Some R-E-H blends have rose petals in them - and I prefer those - but it's not essential. It's worth investing in a jar as it's superb rubbed onto lamb for barbecuing. Just rub the lamb with a little olive oil and then liberally sprinkle the R-E-H on. Leave to marinade before cooking.

Takis

Here's the Ras el hanout mix recipe I've been using for years. All amounts in teaspoons. All spices are ground. 2 nutmeg - 2 coriander - 2 cumin - 2 ginger - 2 turmeric - 2 salt - 2 cinnamon - 1.5 sugar - 1.5 paprika - 1.5 black pepper - 1 cayenne pepper - 1 cardamom powder - 1 allspice - ½ cloves Mix and store in a jar in your spice cabinet.

Gigi B

Delicious added fennel seeds to the roasted carrots.Chewy, crunchy, savory and sweet.

Lore

Loved this healthy meal. Great flavor - beautiful presentation. I doubled the tahini sauce & used most of it. Had some to pour at the table. This dish goes on rotation. Will make for summer dinner parties.

Chaya

I made this as written. The carrot preparation took a lot of time but the flavor result ended up being worth it. The salad was delightful eaten immediately, however, after an hour or so, the tahini dressing thickened and gave the salad a gummy texture. I'd like to try this recipe again with a different dressing that could stand up to the barley without getting that tacky texture, perhaps a classic dijon/red wine vinegar style vinaigrette.

Adam

TIP If you’d like to make your own ras el hanout blend, stir together the following ingredients: 1 teaspoon each ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground ginger, ground cumin, ground cardamom and ground nutmeg, plus ½ teaspoon each ground aniseed (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground caraway seeds (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground fennel seeds (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground cloves and ground black pepper. (Makes about 3 tablespoons ras el hanout.)

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