Sour Cherry Pearl Barley, Crispy Kale, Yoghurt, Chilli Butter & Sheep’s Cheese - Serves 6-8

Selin Kiazim

Selin Kiazim

4th May 2017
Selin Kiazim

Sour Cherry Pearl Barley, Crispy Kale, Yoghurt, Chilli Butter & Sheep’s Cheese - Serves 6-8

This is my recipe for sour cherry pearl barley, crispy kale, yoghurt, chilli butter & sheep’s cheese as featured on the Oklava menu.

Ingredients

  • 250g kale, leaves picked, washed & thoroughly dried
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ bunch mint, leaves picked and shredded
  • ¼ bunch parsley, leaves picked and shredded
  • 60g hard sheep’s cheese- like pecorino
  • 6 tbsp thick yoghurt
  • Chilli butter:
  • 250g unsalted butter
  • 50ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ heaped tbsp pul biber- Turkish chilli flakes
  • Pearl barley:
  • 6 banana shallots, finely sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 150ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 200g dried sour cherries
  • 250g pearl barley, rinsed under cold water
  • Fine salt to taste

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 110°C fan.
Coat the kale leaves in 1 tsp of olive oil and a little salt. Spread out flat onto a baking tray and place into the oven. Bake for around 15 minutes or until the kale is crispy. Check the kale every 5 minutes and move it around on the tray so it bakes evenly.
On a medium heat melt the butter and then keep cooking it until it turns a nut-brown butter. Strain through a fine sieve into a large container (as it will puff up once you add the chilli) and then add the chilli flakes immediately. Finish it by adding the olive oil.
Sweat the shallots with the olive oil on a very low heat with no colour for approx. 20 minutes or until very soft.
Add in the garlic and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
Add in the sour cherries and pearl barley and coat in the oil and shallots.
Pour enough cold water into the pot to cover the barley by around 2cm.
Gently cook the barley on a medium heat for approx. 30minutes or until just cooked through. Season with fine salt to taste.
Dish out onto a serving platter or individual plates, top with yoghurt (put the yoghurt in a squeezy bottle if you have one), herbs, drizzle around hot chilli butter, top with crispy kale and finely grate over the cheese.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.