The Colorful Barley Bowl Recipe That’s So Easy To Make

During a recent trip down to Little Italy in NYC where we were filming part of the story for my show, I was fortunate to meet the amazing Di Palo family. And when I say amazing, I should say inspiring.

The Di Palo’s have been selling Italian goods for over 100 years and, as Lou Di Palo says, he has been working here for 67 years old and he is 66. So you know this family has worked hard.

You will see more of my initial visit and the story of Di Palo on the show, but I decided to return back as I want to learn their way of making mozzarella from scratch. In lining up a meeting with Lou, Marie informed me that he was out of town, but would be back the following week. This family is true to everything the Italian way of life envisions, she would not let me leave without some of their homemade fresh cheese, so inspired by the smell of the store and the love this family showed towards me, I came home and made a super colorful (standard) Italian-inspired salad.

If you saw my social media feeds over the past couple of weeks you will note my adventures back to Australia, specifically Melbourne, to visit the Olive Oil grove of Cobram Estate and represent this amazing company in sharing their story to some American journalists.

I am proud to partner with such a beautiful company inside and out where the award winning oil is defining the understanding of health with their in-house lab testing (more on that later). So I just had to add some amazing golden beautiful first press Cobram Estate Olive Oil to this wicked bowl. Finished off with salt and pepper and the simple flavors of Italy combined with a touch of my Aussie nature to put a smile on my face (it was already there hehe)

Talk about simplicity! Just mix it in a bowl and you are set for lunches for 5 days or you are sorted for you friend’s summer feast. You can add your favourite meat or just keep it as is. Either way it is a serious win!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Cost: $8-12

Skill: Easy

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Barley

1 Can of Chickpeas

1 Cup of mixed Grape tomatoes, sliced

1 handful of Basil

3/4 Cup

3 Kale leaves, stalked removed

2/3 Cup Mozzarella sliced

3 Tbsp of Cobram Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pinch of Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan add the barley and 3 Cups of water. Bring to a boil and then turn heat to simmer to cook for 25-30 minutes. Barley should still hold it shape but be soft under the bite
2. Drain in a colander and run under cold water, set aside
3. Combine everything else in a bowl (I used a dutch oven… duh 😉 ) and drizzle over olive oil, salt and pepper serve into of 4-6 bowls pending how hungry you and your friends are!