We just spent a crazy week in LA and although I've never really been fond of Southern California with all the traffic and horrendous heat in the summer months, I kind of fell in love with it. We stayed in Silver Lake for most of our trip, a hip neighborhood with a lot of great food. We made frequent trips to bakeries and got take out from the incredible Silver Lake Ramen. We never made coffee at home because there were so many great options close by. It was glorious. I'm now a believer.

Wednesday morning we visited a place in the neighborhood called Sqirl. They serve grain bowls and sandwiches, along with pastries and tasty coffee. I ordered the sorrel pesto rice bowl with an egg and homemade sausage. It was the breakfast of my dreams. It was tart with preserved lemon and salty from a mound of sheep's milk feta, everything is then coated in luxurious egg yolk after you break into the poached egg. I went back to get it again a couple days later and brought three more home for the rest of our crowd. I wish I lived next door and could eat it every day because I surely would. They are working on a cookbook and I'm praying that's in it, and if it is, ya'll are coming over for brunch.

This barley salad is in no way related to the sorrel pesto bowl except that it's a hearty grain salad and it would benefit greatly from a runny egg placed on top. It's bright and its filling and I guess for now, it can stand in as a measly substitute for the real thing.

summer barley salad // serves 6 as a side

Ingredients:

1 cup barley
3 cups water
1 medium zucchini, diced
1/4 red onion, diced small
2 cups lactinato kale, chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup crumbled sheep's milk feta
juice of half of a medium lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tablespoon grainy mustard
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

In a medium sauce pan, bring the water and the barley to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until all the water is evaporated and the barley is cooked through, about 50-60 minutes. Remove from heat, keeping it covered and let cool 15 minutes.
Using a 1 cup measuring cup, mix together the lemon juice, oil, mustard, salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked barley, zucchini, red onion, kale, parsley and feta. Pour over the vinaigrette and mix to combine.
If you've got an egg around, fry it up, keeping the yolk soft and throw it on top.