saltbush roasted beetroot with pearl barley & baked ricotta

I wanted to build a recipe around Mount Zero Olives' biodynamic pearled barley; the texture and flavour are like no other. Barley was always a staple in soups and stews in my childhood and reminds me of Grandfather who was the cook in the family, nourishing us with traditional English style fare.

Author

Willow Humphreys

Servings

4

Ingredients

• 12 Baby beetroots, leaves attached
• Good glug of Mount Zero Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 300g fresh ricotta
• 100gm Mount Zero Biodynamic Pearl Barley
• 1 tablespoon fresh or dried saltbush
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 lemon
• Mount Zero Pink Lake Salt, to taste
• Good glug of Mount Zero Lemon Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Remove leaves from the beetroots, saving the smaller leaves for later, and wash and slice the beets in half.
3. Place them on a roasting tray with liberal amounts of olive oil, saltbush and a pinch of Pink Lake Salt. Roast for 20 minutes, still leaving a 'little bite' to them.
4. Cook the barley as per the instructions on the box. Once cooled, dress with a little olive oil, Pink Lake Salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.
5. Once the beetroots are cooked through, place the ricotta on a baking tray and liberally dress with Lemon Pressed EVOO and Pink Lake Salt, and roast in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden outside.
6. Toss the beetroot leaves in a little Lemon Pressed EVOO - just enough to make glisten.
7. To assemble, layer the beetroots, dressed leaves, spoons of cooked pearl barley and pieces of baked ricotta on your desired serving dish. Drizzle with a touch more Lemon Pressed EVOO if desired.