Okay, so I know that it’s not the season for corn and tomato, but this dish just had to happen. Curried tomatoes are set in an Italianesque environment. Hull-less barley has crunchy, al dente consistency, and balances well with sweet, creamy corn puree. Curried tomatoes round out the experience, bringing a sweet, deep richness to the dish.

Make it.

1 cup hull-less barley
2 T butter
1 T olive oil
1/2 onion, medium dice
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 t rosemary
1 large bay leaf
1 cup milk, cream or half and half
1 batch curried oven-dried tomatoes, julienne
Parmesan cheese, to taste

1. Cook the barley according to the package’s directions.
2. While the barley is cooking, heat the butter and oil and sweat the onion over medium heat until translucent, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the corn, rosemary, bay and milk and simmer on medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove the bay leaves and puree the corn mixture until fairly smooth. Adjust seasoning.
5. Stir the corn puree into the cooked barley.
6. Add curried tomatoes and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning.
7. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.