Try this Wheatberry Salad With Dried Cherries recipe
- wheat berries - 2 cup (32 tbs)
- shallot - 1 large minced
- fresh lemon juice - 3 tablespoon
- dijon mustard - 1 tablespoon
- olive oil - 1 tablespoon
- honey - 2 teaspoon
- salt - 1 1/2 teaspoon
- coarsely ground black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
- celery stalks - 3 medium cut lengthwise in half, then cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices
- dried tart cherries - 3/4 cup (12 tbs) chopped
- chopped italian parsley leaves - 1/2 cup (8 tbs) (
- italian parsley sprigs - 4 (for garnish)
- lettuce - 1 (for garnish)
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (0g)
- Sodium 0 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- In 4 quart saucepan, heat wheatberries and 8 cups water to boiling over high heat.
- Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until wheatberries are just tender but still firm to the bite.
- Meanwhile, in large bowl, with wire whisk or fork, mix shallot, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper.
- When wheatberries are cooked, drain well.
- Add warm wheatberries to dressing with celery, cherries, and chopped parsley; toss well.
Wheat berries demand a full ninety minutes of simmering in an un-salted pot of water to achieve the requisite al dente resistance without cracking their outer bran hulls. Cooking them until they are merely tender rather than mushy prevents the grain from collapsing into a dense paste when dressed. Draining the hot grains thoroughly in a fine-mesh colander eliminates residual boiling water that would otherwise dilute the emulsion of lemon juice and olive oil.
Tossing the warm wheat berries directly into the shallot and mustard mixture causes the porous starch to absorb the acidity and aromatics more efficiently than chilled grains could manage. This warm-marination technique relies on thermal expansion, drawing the vinaigrette deep into the cellular matrix of each berry as the temperature slowly descends toward room temperature.
Celery provides a vital crisp contrast against the chewy grain, while dried tart cherries introduce localized pockets of sweetness and chew. Slicing the celery stalks lengthwise before cross-cutting into quarter-inch half-moons ensures the pieces integrate uniformly with the grains rather than sinking to the bottom of the mixing bowl.
Pantry adaptations alter both moisture retention and flavor balance significantly when applied to grain salads. Swapping the honey for maple syrup requires reducing the overall volume by twenty percent to compensate for differing sugar concentration, whereas substituting standard golden raisins for the dried cherries yields a less acidic profile that demands an extra squeeze of fresh lemon juice to maintain brightness.
