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3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons walnut oil or olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon stemmed thyme or

1½ teaspoons dried thyme

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan set over high heat. Stir in the barley; cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh colander set in the sink and transfer to a large serving bowl. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they release their liquid and it reduces to a glaze, about 4 minutes.

Add the bell pepper, onion, and celery; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the bowl with the barley.

Stir in the mayonnaise, parsley, vinegar, oil, mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper. Set aside for 10 minutes to blend the flavors or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Variations: For a creamier salad, increase the mayonnaise to ½ cup.

For a more nutritious salad, use hulled or whole-grain barley; adjust its cooking times as indicated on the package.

For a quicker salad, bring only 2 cups water to a boil over high heat. Stir in 1 cup quick-cooking barley, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain as directed and proceed with the recipe.

Wheat Berry Salad with Orange and Avocado

Wheat berries are whole unprocessed wheat kernels, a tight pack of fiber and protein with a nutty taste. One warning: they must be soaked overnight before cooking. Makes 4 servings

1 cup wheat berries

1 large orange

1 ripe avocado, cut in half, seeded, and diced

1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup mayonnaise (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)

¼ cup plain yogurt (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

Several dashes of hot red pepper sauce to taste

Place the wheat berries in a large skillet set over medium-low heat; toast, shaking the pan frequently, until they smell nutty and some pop from the heat, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and cover with cool water to a depth of 3 inches. Set aside for at least 12 hours or overnight.

Bring a quart (4 cups) of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Drain the wheat berries and add them to the pot. Stir well, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until tender, about 50 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh colander set in the sink.

Slice about ¼ inch off the top and bottom of the orange. Set it flat on your work surface. Slice off the skin and white pith, following the orange’s curve with the blade of the knife. Hold the orange in your hand over a serving bowl; cut between the white membranes to release the sections one by one, letting them and any juice fall into the bowl. Watch your hand—do not slice through the orange. At the end, squeeze the remaining membranes to extract any additional juice.

Stir the avocado, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and drained wheat berries into the bowl with the orange sections and juice.

In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, and hot red pepper sauce until smooth. Pour over the wheat berry mixture; toss well.

Variations: Omit the yogurt; use ½ cup mayonnaise.

Add 6 ounces cooked, peeled, and deveined medium shrimp, chopped, with the avocado.

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Grain Anatomy

Grains have at least four parts: the hull, bran, germ, and endosperm. These are variously edible, depending on the grain. A “whole grain” has at least the bran along with the tender endosperm. Most of the nutrients are found in the hull, bran, and germ; the endosperm is a starchy core that would provide protein to the seed were it to germinate.

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For another barley dish, see Mushroom, Barley, and Lentil Soup.

For another dish with wheat