Quick Barley Paella

The other night, I decided to bake salmon for dinner. But as I was thawing the salmon, I realized I did not have any grains such as potatoes, quinoa, or even pasta that I usually make with roasted salmon. Looking into my pantry and fridge I came up with this quick paella recipe that came out delicious and will be my staple side-dish to my fish from now on.

Ready to cook? Here we go!

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup barley grain

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 small Onion, chopped

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 10-15 cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1⁄2 tsp dried oregano

• 1⁄2 tsp dried thyme

• 1⁄4 tsp saffron threads

• 1⁄2 cup frozen peas

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Cook the barley as it is instructed on the package with water and salt, drain and set aside.

2. Warm up the olive oil in another pan.

3. Add chopped onion to the hot oil, turn the heat to low, cover the pan, and saute the onions for about 5 minutes stirring frequently.

4. Turn the heat up. Stir in the minced garlic, and cook for a minute.

5. Add in the dried oregano and thyme.

6. Add the halved cherry tomatoes, let it saute for about 3 minutes.

7. Stir in the drained barley, frozen peas, and saffron threads.

8. Lower the heat, cover the pan and let the peas cook for about 5 minutes, stir if necessary.

9. Take the cover off and let the extra water if there is any to evaporate.

10. Taste and add season as you desire.

Your paella is ready to serve!

Happy Cooking!