Friday, July 5, 2013

FFwD: Wheat Berry Salad with Vegetables and Purslane


Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is a deliciously healthy Wheat Berry Salad.




Wheat berries are a true whole grain. You may not recognize the name, but without these kernels, there would be no flour. Wheat berries are loaded with nutrients and are as easy as rice to prepare, perfect for a meal any time of year. Wheat berries are whole wheat kernels. Since the wheat kernel is left intact, virtually none of the nutrients are stripped away. They look like thick, short grains quite similar to brown rice.




When boiled, cooked wheat berries have a chewy bite and subtle nutty, earthy flavor. They are sturdy enough to handle salad dressings and still delicate enough to taste delicious with some milk, honey and cinnamon. And if you like sprouts on salads and sandwiches, add a little water to wheat berries and you can grow your own tasty wheat sprouts.




Apart from the cup of wheat berries (which I doubled) Dorie´s recipe for the dressing calls for Dijon mustard, olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. I used Moutarde de Montjoie from my favorite artisanal mustard mill ("Senfmühle Monschau") and added some fresh lemon juice to the salad dressing.




For the vegetables, Dorie chose celery, onion, a bell pepper and as the fruit she used an apple – I grilled some thin slices of white and green zucchini instead, cut them into half-moon shapes and added them to the salad together with chopped Kalamata olives, salt brined capers and yellow, green and red grape tomatoes. As herbs I also added a whole bunch of chopped Italian parsley, chives and basil.




As a sort of topping for the wheat berry salad, Dorie used canned tuna, mixed salad greens, tomatoes, an avocado and hard-boiled eggs. I skipped the tuna, but crumbles some feta, sliced some avocado, soft-boiled some small farm fresh eggs and added my favorite hearty salad green just before serving. Purslane or “Portulak” (Portulaca oleracea) as it is called around here is not your typical salad green that you will find in your favorite supermarket – so I was thrilled when I found a bunch of this somewhat “forgotten” salad green. With its pretty somewhat shiny and “sturdy” green leaves and pronounced tart flavor, purslane is the perfect match for the other vegetables and the wheat berries.




Wheat berries have a definite nutty flavor so they are great with a lot of different fresh vegetables, especially when they are grilled, tons of fresh herbs such as basil, chives and parsley and also cheeses such as mozzarella or feta. Wheat berries are deliciously healthy, fusing perfectly with the other flavors in this easy dish, perfect for a weeknight meal or for a summertime picnic. This recipe was very enthusiastically received at our house. It is a definite keeper - I will add different grilled vegetables, herbs, cheese and salad greens to this (next time it will be ruccola).

Look for wheat berries at a health food store or in the natural foods section of your local supermarket.If you cannot find wheat berries, you can easily substitute pearl barley.

To see how the other members of the French Fridays with Dorie group prepared this Wheat Berry Salad click here.



35 comments:

  1. Your salad looks lovely Andrea - the top photo with the salad arranged in a ring mould is such a classy presentation. Not like me - splodge on a plate because I am too impatient. have a lovely weekend.

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    1. Thank you very much - I just wanted this Wheat Berry Salad to have that elegant look but then I also liked it just casually - in the end, both ways of presenting this salad are nice.

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  2. Yes, the molded salad looks extra elegant, Andrea. And the mustard jar is also gorgeous. Sort of vintage. Purslane grows as a weed in my lawn, though the leaves are a little flatter and less succulent than what you used. Hope you have a great weekend.

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    1. Betsy, the mustard jar is what I really like about that artisinal mustard mill, not only do they produce the most wonderful varieties of mustard but they also package them in such pretty vintage stoneware jars. Purslane, well, weed or not weed, it is healthy and delicious if you like a bit of tang in your salad greens and it is old fashioned and I love that too (what else is new). Have a lovely weekend!

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  3. The ring mold added a very elegant touch to this salad. I enjoy reading about the local ingredients you use in your cooking. Beautiful!

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    1. Cher, nice that you enjoy my picture of the salad in a ring mold - and those local ingredients are always fun using and writing about.

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  4. This looks fantastic, Andrea, and I really like your choice of veggies and other add-ins, but was especially glad to see the purslane! That is a plant thA actually grows wild here in Arizona, and I love it's lemony crunch in things. This is <>! I, too, liked how you moulded it for presentation. One question... (and I could probably ask Wikipedia, but you are more fun and personal) - are wheat berries the same as farro? Liebe Grüße! David

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    1. David, farro and wheatberries are very close kin. They are each the grain of the wheat plant, which has a rough husk and, inside it, what can be imagined like an egg: a shell, called the “bran,” an “endosperm,” playing an egg white-like role, and within the endosperm, a yolk-like “germ” —literally, wheat germ. Farro and wheatberries are each the whole, three-part grain, just from different types of wheat plants. Farro comes from wheat varieties grown in warmer climates, while wheatberries come from colder-weather wheat. Hope that helps, David and thank you also for that lovely comment!

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  5. I think that you combination of ingredients in this wheat berry salad are a real winning combination. Your presentation in the ring mold is a wonderful way of making it special.

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    1. Karen, thank you so much for the nice comment - ring molds are wonderful for making elegant presentations.

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  6. I enjoy reading about all your substitutions, Andrea. I gave my salad a generous sprinkling of lemon also. A knowledgeable chef once told me once that a little lemon always kicks a salad up a notch. Thot about adding capers because I think tuna and capers go together but didn't do that. I liked that you served your salad with a "molded" appearance. I have never used Purslane but recently I purchased Deborah Madison's new cookbook, Vegetable Literacy. Because of your Post, I just went to her book and discovered she has a recipe, "Beluga Lentil Salad with Purslane and Green Coriander Buds" that looks delicious. Now to hunt down Purslane.

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    1. Mary, thanks for the thoughtful comment - lemon juice is my ingredient of choice for all dishes mediterranean - it always brightens the flavor in the most delicious way. Hopefully you will be able to find some purslane - it is not the easiest of ingredients to procure at the green grocer around here.

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  7. I absolutely adore the salad in the mold above. Fabulously elegant! Mmmm

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    1. Kim, thanks so much. Glad that you enjoy the elegant look of this salad.

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  8. Ooops, don't know where my comment went so apologies if I'm repeating myself. Love that you've used purslane. I've only ever seen in it in very old books so nice that you've revived it. You have a real talent for styling your gorgeous photos, Andrea!

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    1. Hester, purslane is so wonderfully old fashioned and delicious - exactly the kind of ingredient that I love to use and are always on the look-out for.

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  9. As always, Andrea….gorgeous presentation! We loved this salad, too! I love the crunchiness of wheatberries! Your’s looks like something you would get in a very nice restaurant! Lovely!!

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    1. Kathy, great discovery that recipe - I alredays shared it with a couple of people and will be making this for a buffet next week - I am curious to see whether it will be received with the same enthusiams as at our house.

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  10. I love wheat berries, Andrea, and this looks like a wonderful way to eat them. I love the way you molded the salad in the first photo - just beautiful!

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    1. Beth, wheat berries are wonderful and so very versatile - glad that you enjoy them as well.

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  11. I adore wheat berries, but I do not think I have ever tasted purslane. Now I am most curious! As always, your photographs are beautiful, and your styling impeccable. Brava!

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  12. I've never had wheat berries, but I've heard of all their benefits. I should pick some up and make a nice summer salad like this! Really gorgeous photos!

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    1. Ashley, I had never heard of wheat berries before either - what a learning experience...but it was worth it, I love this recipe and the fact that it is easily adaptable with different herbs and veggies.

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  13. Beautiful salad, especially for hot summer nights.
    I'll bet the taste rivals its beauty!

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    1. Colette, thank you - this is truly a wonderful summer salad, you are absolutely right, my dear!

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  14. I love reading your blog I always learn something new! I had never heard of wheat berries before but I really need to see if I can get them in Australia. Lovely recipe! Have a great day!

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    1. Karen, thank you very much - if you cannot find wheat berries, go for the farro and if ou cannot find farro go for the pearl barley (which, to my delight, my beloved grand-mother used quite a lot).

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  15. Simply gorgeous! I'm hungry for this winner again :)

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    1. Liz, in fact, I am about to get some fresh veggies and herbs right now so that I can prepare this for wheat berry salad for lunch today.

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  16. Love your presentation using the ring mold! I always want to try serving food using it. It makes it fancy and you demonstrated very well! :) Love this salad!

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    1. Nami, ring molds seem to make everything look fancy, don´t they?!

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  17. I like wheat berries but never thought of serving them as a sweet breakfast. Thanks for the idea!

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  18. Andrea that is one appetizing salad!! Looks awesome!!! Love the monogramed forks! Need!

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  19. What an interesting salad--it looks delicious.

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