Squash & barley salad with balsamic vinaigrette

Last week was mainly formed of intense yet unwanted debates about Oscar Pistorius. My colleague became incredibly absorbed in the trial and as a devoted Oscar fan, she took it upon herself to become his Sheffield-based chief defence lawyer ("I love Oscar, me! He's the only reason I went to the Paralympics!"). After repeated "What do you think? What do you think?" type pestering, I wearily took my place as the reluctant prosecution.

My colleague read, verbatim, the Twitter feed of the bail hearing. The nature of Twitter, of course, is that the information comes from various different sources, meaning that it repeats itself. Constantly.

"A cricket bat was found and testosterone tablets have been found. Testosterone tablets have been found on the premises. A cricket bat was used to break down the door. A cricket bat is reported to have been found. Testosterone tablets have been found in the bedside cabinet.”

All day. Every day. Until the court adjourned and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. And then they reconvened and I had the Pistorius bathroom described to me in minute detail; wall by wall, window measurements to the millimetre and the precise position of toilet bowl. Oh and the condition of Reeva's bladder (it was empty by the way, which, surprisingly, is consistent with having just had a piss).

If there is one good thing to come out of all this though, it is that my colleague has had a sort of philosophical overhaul. Normally a hang-draw-n-quarter them type justice seeker (whether the trial has happened or not; a police charge is enough to begin the execution process), she now seems to have mellowed.

"They might not let him take his legs to prison!" she tells me, outraged.

And that, for me, is a humanitarian triumph.

Anyway, in the event that this week requires such high levels of endurance, I have (with the help of the trusty BBC Good Food) made myself a Sanity Salad to take with me to work each day.

I have varied the amounts slightly, based on what I had but follow the link above for the original recipe.

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into long chunks

1 tbsp olive oil

250g pearl barley

280g Tenderstem broccoli

A handful of sundried tomatoes, sliced

1 red onion, diced

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp capers, rinsed

15 black olives, pitted

20g basil, torn

5 tbsp balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place the squash on a baking tray and toss with olive oil. Roast for 20 mins.

Meanwhile, boil the barley for about 25 mins in salted water until tender, but al dente.

While this is happening, whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, then season with salt and pepper.

Drain the barley, then tip it into a bowl and pour over the dressing. Mix well and let it cool.

Boil the broccoli in salted water until just tender, then drain and rinse in cold water. Drain and pat dry.

Add the broccoli and remaining ingredients to the barley and mix well.

This will keep for 3 days in the fridge and is delicious warm or cold.

Vegetarian, vegan and dairy-free! A perfect, healthy lunch. Serves 8 but I'm hoping to finish it in 5 large portions to myself. YES!

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