It's an excellent summer salad. I frequently double it.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups water boiling
- 1/4 cup green onion sliced
- 1/2 cup wheat berries 1c to double
- 2 medium tomatoes seeded and chopped (4 to double)
- 1 medium cucumber seeded and chopped, (2 to couble)
- -- vinagrette --
- Carbohydrate 32.080308271252 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 2.2159446875 g
- Fiber 5.31632042980194 g
- Protein 3.76821546875 g
- Saturated Fat 0.3464040625 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (252g)
- Sodium 11.2676875 mg
- Sugar 26.7639878414501 g
- Trans Fat 0.1666059375 g
- Calories 158 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook wheat in boinling water, covered until tender.
- combine all ingredients and coat with vinagrette.
- Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.
Swapping red wine vinegar for fresh lemon juice alters the dressing's acidity profile significantly, shifting the flavor from sharp to bright. Wheat berries demand patience on the stove. Simmer them in a heavy-bottomed pot for roughly 50 to 60 minutes until the kernels yield to pressure while retaining a distinct chew. Undercooked grains turn hard in the refrigerator, while overcooked ones disintegrate into a paste. Seeding tomatoes and cucumbers prevents excess moisture from diluting the dressing during storage. Use a serrated utility knife to quarter the tomatoes and scrape out the seed chambers before dicing. This salad benefits from a resting period. Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate for one to two hours before serving to allow the vinaigrette to penetrate the dense grain structure. While grain salads hold up well to advance preparation, freezing is not recommended because raw vegetables like cucumbers release water upon thawing and turn limp. Store the dressed mixture in an airtight container for up to 48 hours. Beyond two days, the green onions lose their crisp texture. For a gluten-free variation, substitute whole wheat berries with hulled buckwheat groats or brown rice while maintaining the same liquid ratio.
