Barley Salad with Chickpeas, Fava Beans & Peas and a Giveaway

There we were, among hundreds of adults in the stands with some toddlers and infants, while hundreds of kids in colorful costumes were in the arena, coming from different schools from the outskirts of Rome and other towns guesting for the Roman school dance festival.  These kids had been practicing their dances for months that even my son, who had grown up disliking anything that entails movement of the hips, arms and legs, was transformed into a dancing machine after too much practicing.   And I was happy to witness this wonderful transformation through the lens of my camera.

Sitting at the stands for hours was not my ideal way of spending my whole morning, after waking up extra early to prepare to go out and be punctual in arriving at the gate of the stadium.   But we came prepared like all the other parents who were there to watch their kids.  Every single parent had a camera, video camera or telephone in hand, a knapsack full of panini and pizza ripiena (stuffed pizza with ham & cheese) and heavy eyelids.  We all had one aim that morning.  We came to watch the dances that they have been working on for months and to give them parental support.  

As I sat there for 4 straight hours with my husband and 2 year-old daughter, I had the time to contemplate.   I wondered how it was like in the eyes of our son.  This was his first big event outside his school and I wondered what kind of emotions were running up and down inside him.  He should be overwhelmed with the size of the stadium and the number of people around him.   I was curious if our presence boosted his confidence in setting out in the middle of the arena and dance.   

This train of thoughts also led to my own school days when I was in Elementary School.  I lingered on the memories of searching for my mother among the hundreds of spectators whenever we have our annual school presentations.   I always regress to being a small child dependently connected to parental support because I needed it to boost my flailing confidence.  I am not a stage gal type.  I was the kind of person who would rather stay at the back of the stage and do the props.   My Mom never missed a single event, enduring the heat and the waiting, always alone for me and my other three siblings.  My father was  a pilot so he was an absentee father.  He had never been present in any school event, including graduations, even the time I came out to this world.  He was always in the sky, working and doing what he loves most.  I never bore any grudges about these absences.  My mother did an exemplary job of filling up his empty seat.  

You know how reflections jump from one thought bubble to another.  Another musing  that lingered in my mind was about the kids whose parents couldn't make it to see them.  I have seen faces of disappointment and tears of sadness both when I was a kid and and as a parent in my son's classes.  I always felt bad for them and wished that I won't ever face what they were going through.   Now that I am a parent myself, I make sure that I am there to hold my child's hand to give him words of encouragement and to congratulate him on a job well done.  

Here is a very simple and fresh spring salad to enjoy while the peas and fava beans are still in season.  When I came home from the market with bags of fresh produce, I couldn't help start shelling the peas and fava beans.  They were so fresh and sweet that I had to concoct a salad dish using these two fresh ingredients.  I haven't cooked anything with orzo (barley) lately so I made sure I had those three as the main ingredients.

Along with my vegetable purchases, I also found some Tropea onions.  They are these elongated, red and very mild onions produced in Calabria, the southern part of Italy.  The most famous town that grows them is Tropea, also known for its beautiful beaches and historical center.   I think they are the best onions I have ever tried in my life.  They are very mild that they are very good in salads and marmalades, among other things.  Oh, and they didn't make me cry when I was slicing them. 

I hope you enjoy this simple dish.  Please don't forget to scroll down to find out about the giveaway.

Like what I promised in my Facebook the other day, I bought a pack of Bronte pistachios, a brick of almond paste and a pack of dried oregano to give away.  I recently discovered this Sicilian gastronomical shop close to where I live (No need to go to Sicily to replenish my stocks!) after I went on a mission to look for Bronte pistachios to fill up my cupboard again.    

I have been preparing a lot of dishes using these three ingredients that I thought you would like to have them too and see for yourself why I like them so much.

This giveaway is open WORLDWIDE. 

I only have two things to ask:

1. "Like" Apron and Sneakers Facebook page.
2. Leave a comment in this post saying which recipe I did that you like the most and stating that you are a new or old follower of Apron and Sneakers (Facebook).

This giveaway finishes on Sunday, 3 June 2012 at 12 Midnight, Rome Time (GMT +2).  Refer to the clock I have on my sidebar to see the local Rome time.  

I will be using random.org to select one winner.  I will be posting the name of the winner in the post after June 3. 

This is my first giveaway so I am quite excited to do this.  Good luck!

This giveaway has already ended.

 
00:12, June 4, 2012
The Winner of the Giveaway is #4, Sandra.  Congratulations!  Sandra, please email me your complete address.  Thanks!  

Thank you everyone for participating!  It had been a pleasure doing this. 

Barley Salad with Chickpeas, Fava Beans & Peas

Ingredients:
Serves 4

• 200 g. pearl barley
• 200 g. chickpeas (I used canned ones.), rinsed and drained
• 200 g. peas, shelled (weighed after shelling from about 800 g. of pods)
• 200 g. fava beans, shelled (weighed after shelling from about 800 g. of pods)
• 1/2 - 1 lime or lemon
• handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, seeded & quartered
• handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped finely + whole for garnishing
• handful of fresh basil leaves + whole for garnishing
• 1/2 Tropea onion (or any mild & sweet red onion), sliced round, very thinly
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper

1. Prepare 3 saucepans with water.  
2. In one saucepan with water, add pearl barley.  Add some salt and bring to a boil.  Once it boils, simmer on low fire for 20 minutes or until they are tender.  When they are cooked, rinse under tap, drain and set aside.
3. Bring the remaining two saucepans with water to a boil.  Add salt when they boil.  In one saucepan, put the green peas.  In the other saucepan, put the fava beans.   Cook the peas for 10 minutes and the fava beans for 5 minutes.  
4. When the fava beans are cooked, let them cool a bit until you can handle them then slide the skin away from the inner seed.  Set aside the inner seeds.
5. When the peas are cooked, rinse with cold water and drain. 
6. In a big bowl, mix fava beans, peas, barley, tomatoes, chickpeas, onion, mint & basil leaves.  
7. Mix extra virgin olive oil with the juice of 1/2 a lime.  Season with salt & pepper.  If you want it more sour, squeeze the other half.
8. Pour dressing on the salad.  Mix well. 

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