Barley Porridge with Figs & Walnuts

📝 Ingredients

• 100 g pearl barley
• 250 ml water
• 400 ml semi-skimmed milk (350 for cooking, 50 for adjusting the texture)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon + 1 pinch of salt
• 4 fresh figs (about 50 g each)
• 4 tsp honey (2 for the figs, 2 for serving)
• 30 g walnut halves
• 150 g plain skyr, 0 % fat

🍴 Utensils

• Colander
• Saucepan with lid
• Frying pan
• Wooden spoon
• Kitchen knife

📖 Steps

1. Rinse the barley in the sieve under cold water, rubbing it between your fingers, until the water runs almost clear. This removes the surface starch, which would make the porridge sticky and gluey.
2. Put the barley in the saucepan with the water and salt, bring to the boil, then cover and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, until the water is almost completely absorbed and the grains have plumped up nicely.
3. Add 350 ml milk and the cinnamon, then cook uncovered over a low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes and scraping the bottom so the milk doesn't catch. The porridge is ready when it is creamy and the grains are tender but still have a little bite.
4. Loosen the porridge with the remaining 50 ml milk, adding it a little at a time while stirring, until you reach the texture you want: it thickens further as it cools. To make it the day before, keep it without this milk in a sealed container in the fridge, and reheat it over a low heat for 3 to 4 minutes with the milk.
5. Toast the walnut halves in the dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until they smell nicely toasted. Remove them from the pan straight away and roughly chop with a knife.
6. Rinse the figs, trim off the stalk end and cut them into quarters. Place them cut side down in the same pan with 2 tsp honey and roast them over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, without stirring, until tender and lightly caramelised.
7. Divide the hot porridge between two bowls and top with a generous spoonful of skyr, the roasted figs with their juices and the chopped walnuts. Finish with a drizzle of the remaining honey and serve straight away.