Mediterranean Eggplant and Barley Salad

One word, one syllable, yum. It's another Smitten Kitchen success! This recipe was excellent. I served it as a main course, but it would also work well as a side dish. This would also be a great dish to take to a potluck as it can be made a day ahead. I made a few changes based on personal preference and ingredients available to me. The original can be found by clicking on the link above.

Makes 4 (main course) or 8 (side dish) servings

1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 medium zucchinis, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, separated
1 teaspoon salt, separated
1 teaspoon black pepper, separated

1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne 

1 1/4 cups pearl barley (8 oz)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon sugar (I forgot to add this, it was fine without)
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, rinsed and drained if desired
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

Roast eggplant and zucchini: Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Toss eggplant and zucchini with 5 tablespoons oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl, then spread on large baking sheet. Roast vegetables in oven, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes total. Allow vegetables to cool.

Cook barley: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onions, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add barley and cook, stirring until well coated with oil, 2 minutes more. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all of liquid is absorbed and barley is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Make dressing and assemble salad: Whisk together lemon juice, garlic, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add barley, roasted vegetables, and remaining ingredients to bowl with dressing and toss until combined well.

Review - I think this dish is in the lead as my favorite so far this year. The flavors are really wonderful and fresh. I found myself closing my eyes after each bite so that I could taste the mint and the olives and the coriander. Josie was the only one who didn't like this dish. The red onion was pretty intense. So there was that and the fact that I had just taken a batch of soft pretzels out of the oven before dinner and it was kind of like torture for her to see them cooling on the counter. Eli went to town. I'm realizing this kid will eat anything. He didn't care for the Kalamata olives, but he ate just about everything else. Jay and I both liked this a lot. If I could have kicked everyone out of the house for an hour, I could have whipped this up pretty quickly (or I could have taken a nap), but it took me all morning to put this together with Sir Climbs on Everything and Princess Asks a Million Questions.