It’s easy to fall into a cooking rut, especially when you’re short on time or have no energy. One way I like to keep my meals fresh is by experimenting with new ingredients, like coconut oil or chia seeds. It’s a good way to discover and try new recipes (whatever will I do with …?), experience new flavors, and expand your culinary repertoire.
On a recent trip to Whole Foods, I randomly picked up a half pint of hard red wheat berries for the first time. Of all the rice, flours, nuts and beans, why wheat berries? A few weeks prior, my mom treated me to a salad sampler, which featured a chewy and refreshing whole grain. I thought it was pearl barley at the time, but a little online research proved me wrong. The mystery ingredient was, in fact, wheat berries – and I wanted to take it on in the kitchen.
While this wheat berry salad exudes flavors of fall, it’s light and bright, and can be served any time of the year. The best part is the “dressing,” which is not really a dressing at all. Rather, vegetables are tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then baked at high heat. When added to the cooked wheat berries, the intense flavors shine through.
Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma Vegetable of the Day, by Kate McMillan (Weldon Owen, 2012).
- 3½ cups water
- 1 cup wheat berries, rinsed
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ½" pieces
- ½ pound fingerling, red-skinned or Dutch yellow potatoes, cut into ½" pieces
- 1 red onion, cut into ½" pieces
- 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 green onions, light and dark green parts, thinly sliced
- In a large pot, combine the water, wheat berries and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Drain and place in a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the butternut squash, potatoes, red onion and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, season generously with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
- Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and stir gently. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the vegetables are caramelized and fork tender. Peel the roasted garlic and return them to the baking sheet.
- Add the roasted vegetables to bowl with wheat berries and stir to combine. Add the cranberries, parsley and green onions. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
