Food Recipes Salads Grain Salads Pearled Barley Salad with Apples, Pomegranate Seeds, and Pine Nuts 5.0 (1,757) 1 Review Pearled barley cooked with onion and thyme is the base of this grain salad full of wonderful flavor and texture. Toasted pine nuts, tart apple, and deep red pomegranate seeds add crunch and color. Enjoy in the late fall/early winter when pomegranates are in season. By Grace Parisi Grace Parisi Grace Parisi a former senior test kitchen editor for Food & Wine, where she wrote several successful monthly columns: Food & Wine Handbook, Tasting & Testing, Flavor of the Month, Power Pantry, and Chefs Recipes Made Easy. Parisi has also been published in McCall’s, Redbook, and The New York Times, has written five hit cookbooks, and has appeared numerous times on national television. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 2, 2023 Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: © Tina Rupp Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 45 mins Yield: 6 servings Ingredients Thyme-Scented Pearl Barley 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 cups (10 ounces) pearled barley 1 small onion, finely diced 2 thyme sprigs 3 cups water Kosher salt Salad 1/3 cup (2 ounces) pine nuts, preferably from Italy 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 small shallot, minced (2 tablespoons) Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 4 cups Thyme-Scented Pearled Barley 1 large tart apple, such as Honeycrisp, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 pomegranate) 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Directions Make the Barley In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the pearled barley and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly toasted; the grains will turn slightly opaque just before browning. Add the onion and thyme and cook over low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the water and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over very low heat until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender. Fluff the grains and discard the thyme sprigs. Season the grains with salt to taste and serve. Make the Salad Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pine nuts in a pie plate and toast until golden, about 5 minutes. Let cool. In a bowl, whisk the oil with the vinegar and shallot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the thyme-scented pearled barley, pine nuts, apple, pomegranate seeds, and parsley; toss before serving. Make Ahead The cooked barley can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month. The salad without the pine nuts can be refrigerated overnight; bring the salad to room temperature and add the nuts before serving. Originally appeared: March 2010 Rate It Print