Recipe: Marinated Chicken Drumsticks w Barley Roast Vege Salad

I used to only know 'winter' recipes - stews, casseroles, hearty soups, curries and so on. I soon had to learn to cook lighter summer meals, and with the help of the internet, some good recipe books and time, I feel like I am getting there.

The other night I felt like having chicken drumsticks, so I googled a marinade recipe. I also googled a salad recipe, because I had some barley I wanted to use. So, you see, I often end up googling different dinners. I mostly use recipes that have a high rating, or are from a reputable food website, and they have all turned out good so far.

You could serve the chicken with roast veges, or mash, or another salad. You could do the barley salad with brown rice or cous cous and with nearly any vegetable. You could add more veges or meat to the salad and make it a main.

Marinated Chicken Drumsticks
(Serves 2)

-4 x chicken drumsticks
-1 tbsp soy sauce
-1/2 tbsp honey
-1/2 tbsp olive oil
-1/2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
-1/2 tbsp tomato puree (I used tomato sauce and it was fine.)

Mix together the soy sauce, honey, olive oil, mustard and tomato puree. Cut 3 slashes in each drumstick, and pour over marinade. Use a cooking brush to get it all over the chicken. Leave in the fridge for 30 mins. (You don't have to.) Cook at 180 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until the juices run clear.

Barley Roast Vege Salad

(Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a main.)

1 Cup pearl barley

3 cups of water/vegetable stock to cook

1 small capsicum cut into thin wedges

1 carrot chopped into thick rounds

1-2 courgette cut into rounds

3-4 garlic cloves, ends chopped off (not peeled.)

1 red onion, chopped

100g baby spinach chopped

small handful basil chopped

1/2 packet feta roughly chopped

lemon juice

Place all the veges apart from the spinach in a roasting dish, cover generously in olive oil and roast in the over for about 30-40 mintues, until cooked.

Place the barley and water/stock in a pot and boil, then simmer for around 45 minutes.

When the veges are cooked, peel the garlic and either put it in a food processor or use a pestle and mortar. Add more olive oil and lemon juice to make a dressing.

Mix the barley, veges, spinach, basil, feta and dressing in a serving bowl.

Enjoy in the sun with a big glass of wine and the one you love.

Chicken recipe from here, salad recipe from here, both adapted by me.