Pot barley and mushroom salad with crisp caraway onions

Serves six as a side dish or salad

• 200g pot barley
• 4 large banana shallots
• 75g olive oil
• 2 tsp caraway seeds
• 0 black pepper
• 1 small fennel bulb
• 1 lemon
• 200g button mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic
• 10g tarragon leaves
• 20g basil leaves

Step 1
If you can get your hands on them, add a few wild mushrooms to the mix here – they’ll lift the dish no end (just keep the total weight the same).

Step 2
Use a mandoline, if you have one, to cut the fennel: you want it really nice and thin.

Step 3
Half fill a medium saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil.

Step 4
Cook the barley for 30 minutes, until soft but still with some bite, then drain, refresh and drain again.

Step 5
Finely chop 40g of the shallots and set aside, then cut the rest into 2-3mm-thick slices.

Step 6
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a medium, nonstick frying pan on a medium-high flame.

Step 7
Add the sliced shallots, caraway and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and fry, stirring, for eight to 10 minutes, until the shallots are dark golden brown, then set aside.

Step 8
Spoon the barley into a large bowl and mix in the chopped shallots, the rest of the oil, fennel, lemon zest and juice, mushrooms, garlic, herbs, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper.

Step 9
Stir in half the fried shallots and spoon on to a platter.

Step 10
Top with the remaining shallots and serve.