Wheatberry Salad

Last Year's Post: Turkey Farro Salad with Candied Chickpeas
Two Years Ago:   Beer Cheese

Wheatberries are literally the entire kernel of wheat, minus the hull.  They're an excellent source of protein, potassium, dietary fiber and iron. But that's not why I like them so much - it's because they're a wonderfully chewy grain that makes a substantial salad that doesn't wilt, and they're a neutral canvas that absorbs the flavors of the vinaigrette.  In this recipe, the vinaigrette delivers a garlic and vinegar profile while the veggies and almonds add flavor, color and texture.  It's one of my favorite salads and is perfect served along side any roasted or grilled meats or poultry.

Wheatberries are very trendy right now in grain bowls and added to salads in restaurants, but 10 years ago when I first found this recipe they were pretty exotic and found only in natural food stores.  That's still your most likely place to find them, but I've seen them occasionally in the bulk food aisles of regular grocery stores.

Be aware that wheatberries need to soak overnight (or cook longer) to soften the hard outer covering and even then they cook for 90 minutes.  Your best bet is to make this salad the day ahead - it tastes better the next day anyway because all the flavors have a chance to blend.

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Wheatberry Salad

6 servings

This salad gets better as it sits, so try to make it the day before serving.  

1 cup wheatberries                                                    

6 cups water or low sodium chicken broth                

½ teaspoon kosher salt                                             

1 bay leaf                                                                    

½ cup chopped artichoke hearts                                  

½ cup quartered cherry tomatoes

½ cup diced roasted red peppers

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

3 tablespoons sliced green onions

¼ cup toasted sliced almonds

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or cilantro

Vinaigrette

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (don’t use bottled)

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

In a saucepan with a well-fitted lid, put the wheatberries, water, salt and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered until the wheat berries are pleasantly chewy (about 90 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat, discard the bay leaf, let the berries cool in the liquid. 

When cool, drain and put the wheat berries in a large bowl.  Add the remaining salad ingredients.  Make the vinaigrette by whisking all the ingredients together.  Toss with the salad.  Let sit for about 30 minutes at room temperature (or longer, refrigerated) before serving.

Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Last Year's Post: Bang Bang Turkey
Two Years Ago:  Sausage and Cheddar Breakfast Strata

I saw this interesting treatment for sugar snap peas on a food network show and just had to try it.  The original recipe was supposedly for a side salad but I made it heartier by adding Gruyere cheese and walnuts in addition to the pancetta and sugar snaps, which made a great and satisfying dinner.  You could certainly serve it as a side salad if you want and probably eliminate the pancetta and cheese.  (Or not.)  It would be particularly spectacular on a holiday buffet table, don't you think?  Don't make the mistake of thinking this is some wimpy food just because it's a salad based on a vegetable.  It has BIG flavor and BIG crunch.

The treatment for the sugar snaps is really easy - blanch in boiling water for 15 seconds to set the color, then shock in ice water to stop the cooking.  Remove, pat dry, and cut in half lengthwise.  The result is really pretty and some of the peas stay in the pods and some fall out, giving your salad some textural contrast.  I love it.

Pancetta is my new-found substitute for bacon because one of my pet peeves is how thick bacon has become. Why does everything have to be super-sized?  One of the great things about bacon is (was) its crispness.  When you have thick-cut bacon (or even worse, slab bacon) the best you can possibly hope for is chewy and greasy.  I once went to a new restaurant and was excited when they asked me whether I wanted my bacon medium or well done.  I should have known just by the question.  The bacon was definitely well done but it was so thick that the result was a literally inedible piece of bacon jerky.  Pancetta, on the other hand, is available in your deli aisle and is cut beautifully and elegantly thin.  The only downside is that it's so thin that it can go from perfect to burnt in about 2.3 seconds.  Mine was about 1 second away from being burnt but it was perfectly crisp and tasted just like great bacon.  The lesson here is keep an eye on your pancetta even though I reduced the roasting time in the recipe slightly when I re-wrote it.  I wandered away and was busy being entranced by the sugar snaps until the pancetta timer went off.  Do as I say, not as I do.

oof, that was close....

The Lawyer pronounced this salad "really, really good" so that's good enough for me.

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Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Serves 4 as a main dish, more as a side dish

¼ pound pancetta, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed

½ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup minced red onion

½ cup Gruyere cheese, cut into small cubes (or your favorite cheese)

½ cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the pancetta slides on a baking pan and roast for 7-8 minutes until browned and crisp, watching closely so they don’t burn.  Remove from the oven and place the pancetta on paper towels to drain.

Meanwhile, bring 2-3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add 1 teaspoon of salt.  Fill a large bowl with ice water and have a large sieve or colander ready in the sink.  Put the snap peas in the boiling water for 15 seconds, then immediately drain and put into the ice water.  Cool completely, drain and pat dry.  Cut each snap pea in half lengthwise and place in a large bowl.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Add the red onion, cheese and walnuts to the bowl with the snap peas and crumble the pancetta over the top.  Pour enough vinaigrette on the salad to moisten and toss well.

Toasted Couscous Salad

Last Year's Post:  Coconut Lime Grilled Shrimp with Pineapple Rice
Two Years Ago:    Jewels of Spring

This is a delicious salad that could be either a great side for grilled meats, a stand-alone vegetarian entree, or a more substantial main-dish salad with the addition of some cooked turkey, chicken or shrimp.  The original recipe that came from Giada de Laurentiis called for cooking the couscous first, then frying it in olive oil.  I like the idea of adding some toastiness to the couscous, but frying?  Seriously, I doubt Giada eats anything fried because she looks like she weighs about 90 pounds sopping wet.  I modified the recipe to toast the couscous in a dry skillet before cooking it and was very happy with the result.  It's probably not quite as crunchy as fried couscous, but I just can't imagine all that oil in a nice healthy salad.  Just be careful when you're toasting the dry couscous, because it can go from toasted to burned in about 2 seconds.  Don't take your eyes off it, and stir almost continuously until it's a nice medium golden brown.

In addition to the toasted couscous, the salad contains sun-dried tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, and ricotta salata (or feta) cheese.  Ricotta salata is basically the Italian version of feta - a firm, mild and salty cheese.  Ricotta salata can be hard to find, so a block of feta is an easy substitute.  This is a nice refreshing salad on its own, but you could also add nuts, olives, or anything else you want.

You can use dry or oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, whichever you prefer.  I tried working with the dry version but I find them a little too chewy for my preference, so I use oil-packed.  If you use oil-packed tomatoes,  don't throw away the oil!  It's full of flavor and can be used for vinaigrettes, cooking eggs, drizzled on sandwiches, making paella, or any manner of other dishes.  For this recipe, I used half and half regular olive oil and sun-dried tomato oil for the vinaigrette to give a little more tomato flavor without it becoming overwhelming.

This is a good salad for serving outdoors because it doesn't contain anything like mayonnaise that could spoil.  Think about it for your next grilling party or picnic.

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Toasted Couscous Salad

Serves 4-6

1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 ¼ cups couscous

4 ounces feta or ricotta salata cheese, cut into ½” pieces

½ English cucumber, seeds removed and cut into ½” pieces

¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

¼ cup grated Parmesan

¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Vinaigrette:

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (may substitute half from jar of oil-packed tomatoes)

Zest and juice of ½ large lemon

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In a non-stick skillet, toast the couscous 3-5 minutes until browned, watching very closely and stirring almost constantly to avoid burning the couscous.  Add the broth and stir, cook one minute, cover and place off the heat for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, place the couscous in a medium bowl and add the Parmesan, toss to combine.  Let cool.

While the couscous is cooling, make the vinaigrette by whisking together all the ingredients.

When the couscous is cooled, and the feta or ricotta salata, cucumber, tomatoes, and fresh basil.  Pour the vinaigrette over and toss to combine everything.

Orzo and Radicchio Salad

Last Year's Post: Pan Bagnat

This is a different kind of salad in the best sense of the word.  First of all, orzo and radicchio are not the most common ingredients in the world.  (The check-out guy at the grocery store actually picked up the head of radicchio and asked me, "what is this little dude"?)  Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta that acts as the neutral binder for all the other big flavors in this salad - slightly bitter and crunchy radicchio and arugula, salty feta, toasty pine nuts, sweet tomatoes, and spicy radishes.  A tart lemon dressing is the finishing fresh touch.

The salad is hearty enough to be a meal on its own if you're looking for a vegetarian entrée (The Lawyer actually mentioned that and I agree).  Or, its bold flavors stand up very well to any kind of grilled meat - burgers, chicken, steak or ribs are a perfect match.  Plus, the salad is served at room temperature so it's ideal for picnics or any other summer gathering and can easily be doubled for larger gatherings.  As I'm writing this I'm thinking of my friend Karrine, who entertains almost every weekend all summer at her lake home.   Hi Karrine - try it out and let me know what you think!  It has lots of delicious veggies so it's very healthy also.

So, about radicchio - you'll find it near the cabbages in the produce aisle. As I mentioned, it's crunchy and slightly bitter, which I really like.  If you want to mellow the bitterness a little and add some smoky flavor at the same time, you can grill the radicchio prior to chopping it for the salad.  It's really easy - just cut the radicchio into wedges (through the core so the leaves stay attached), brush with a little olive oil, and grill on the cut sides until grill marks appear.

Before grilling, brushed with olive oil

After grilling

You don't want to grill it to death, you just want grill marks and a very slight amount of wilting - just a minute or two per cut side.  Or, don't grill it at all and just chop it for the salad - it's up to you.

About the greens in the salad - they're not THE main component as in a lettuce salad, but they're one of the three main components including radicchio and orzo. You can use either arugula or spinach.  I actually found a bag of mixed baby spinach and arugula at the store that worked perfectly.

With all the bold flavors this is definitely a big boy/big girl salad.  If you have munchkins they probably won't like it unless they have pretty sophisticated palates.  Of course, I've seen kids at sushi restaurants chowing down on raw fish, so what do I know?  Make it even if they won't like it. I mean, really.  Parents shouldn't have to be relegated to a steady diet of mac and cheese and hot dogs just because they have kids.  Give them some jello or something while you eat your nice salad.  I'm just sayin'.

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Orzo and Radicchio Salad
Serves 6

 Note:  the salad can be made 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.  Leftovers may be chilled, but for entertaining purposes the salad is best when fresh and not refrigerated.

 8 ounces orzo

¼ cup fresh lemon juice plus 1 lemon cut into 6 wedges
¼ cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
½ small head radicchio
1/3 cup roasted tomatoes (or ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes), chopped
4-5 radishes, thin sliced
4 cups baby arugula or spinach, coarsely chopped
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

 Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook orzo according to directions; drain well.  While the orzo is cooking, whisk together the ¼ cup lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add the hot orzo to the dressing and toss.  Let orzo come to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

 The radicchio may be cored and coarsely chopped fresh, or it may be grilled prior to coring and chopping.  If you choose to grill the radicchio, cut the half head into two pieces through the core and lightly brush with olive oil on both cut sides.  Grill over medium heat for a minute or two on each of the cut sides, just long enough to wilt slightly and produce grill marks.  Core and chop.

 When the orzo has cooled to room temperature, add all the remaining ingredients except the feta cheese and toss well.  Add the feta and toss gently to combine.  Taste and adjust seasonings. 

 Serve at room temperature with lemon wedges to squeeze over the salad.