Wheat Berry Salad
This is a hearty, flavorful salad that takes substitutions easily. Try arugula instead of spinach, berries instead of pomegranate or pecans instead of almonds.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons whey, yogurt or fresh lemon juice, optional
- 2 cups wheat berries
- Sea salt
- 1 pomegranate
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons wine vinegar
- Pepper
- 2–3 green onions, finely chopped, tough green ends trimmed away
- 1 bunch spinach, sliced into chiffonade or ribbon-like strips
- ¼ cup almonds, sliced
- 2–3 ounces goat cheese, such as chevre or feta
Instructions
- Soak the wheat berries in enough water to cover them. Add the whey, yogurt or lemon juice and let sit for 12–24 hours. Drain and rinse.
- Bring about 6 cups of water to boil in a medium-sized saucepan over high heat. Add the wheat berries and a couple teaspoons of salt. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about an hour, or until the wheat berries are tender and chewy. Drain the wheat berries. While the wheat berries are cooking, cut and de-seed the pomegranate by cutting partway through the top and then prying open the fruit over a bowl to catch the seeds. Separate and discard the white membrane, then set aside the seeds.
- In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil and vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the still-warm wheat berries, the green onions, spinach, almonds and reserved pomegranate seeds. Stir to combine all the ingredients evenly and to wilt the spinach. Taste and add additional sea salt and a little more vinegar if needed. Then crumble the goat cheese on top with a little more freshly ground pepper and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.