Ingredients

• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 8 spring onions
• white and green parts separated
• shredded
• 1 garlic clove
• crushed
• 225g/8oz pearl barley
• 425ml/15fl oz chicken stock
• 4 tomatoes
• skinned
• seeds removed and chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh chervil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 30g/1oz butter
• 225g/8oz baby spinach
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 680g/1½lb sausage meat
• splash Worcestershire sauce
• 115g/4oz plain flour
• 2 eggs
• beaten
• 225g/8oz breadcrumbs
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• chervil sprigs
• to garnish
• 30g/1oz butter
• 1 shallot
• finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• crushed
• 6 tomatoes
• skinned
• seeds removed and chopped
• 2 tbsp chicken stock
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• For the braised barley
• heat the oil in a frying pan and add the whites of the spring onions and the garlic. Cook gently to soften but do not let them colour.
• Add the barley and stir for two minutes
• then add the stock and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and gently simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the spring onion greens and the tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat
• stir in the chervil
• season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
• Meanwhile
• for the sausage and spinach cakes
• melt the butter in a frying pan
• add the spinach
• nutmeg and a pinch of salt and cook to wilt the spinach.
• Allow to cool
• squeeze out the liquor
• then chop the spinach. Put the sausage meat in a bowl and add the spinach. Mix in the Worcestershire sauce and shape into eight round patties.
• Put the flour
• beaten egg and breadcrumbs into three shallow bowls. Pass the patties through the flour to coat them
• then coat them in the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Reshape them if necessary.
• Heat the oil in large frying pan. Fry the patties until nicely browned all over
• then bake for 15-20 minutes
• until cooked through.
• For the sauce
• melt half the butter in a pan
• then add the shallot and garlic
• followed by half the tomatoes. Add the stock and turn up the heat. Cook until the tomatoes break down to a purée
• then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Stir in the remaining butter
• then the rest of the tomatoes and finally
• the parsley.
• To serve
• put the barley on a serving plate
• lay the cakes on top
• pour over the sauce and decorate with the chervil sprigs.