Wheatberry Salad

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ukatchme_11990311 (Feb 2011:  I buy wheat berries in bulk from my local co-op and find that 45 min without pre-soaking works just fine.  I wonder if there are differences in types of wheat berries, or if packagers do something in the packaging process that requires the pre-soak that you're finding necessary.

I love wheat berry salad and have been making it for years.  It lends itself to playing around: I tend to include soybeans or edamame, replace the bell pepper with jicama, and add minced parsley and chopped walnuts.  Haven't done the sautéed red onion, but am intrigued.

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Cooked the wheatberries in 30 mins, fast, in my digital pressure cooker. I don't see why this couldn't be made using barley, farro, bulgar, etc...I found the 1/2 tsp of salt, written in the directions, excessive; I almost ruined the salad after adding it. I had planned to add feta cheese, but after tasting it with the salt alone, I definitely did NOT add salty feta! Use caution, add less salt. You can always add more, but you can't take it out.

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I took a cue from those who suggested soaking the wheatberries overnight, and by the next morning, they had absorbed all the water and had "opened"! They were perfectly tender, with just a hint of "chewiness" to them. Didn't need to boil them at all! But I did read on the back of the package that the company "parboils" the wheatberries before packaging them.

To the ingredients listed in the recipe, I added diced celery and cucumber, a little chopped flat leaf parsley, extra balsamic vinegar as suggested by several people here, a little extra salt, and a tsp. of Old Bay Seasoning. Excellent! I think this would be great as a side to an egg salad sandwich, a grilled piece of salmon or tuna, or tandoori chicken!

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I bought hard wheat berries at Whole Foods. Directions on display states SOAK OVERNIGHT IN COLD WATER - COOK BERRIES IN SOAKING WATER UNTIL TENDER. There is no way they will cook in 45 min. as per Ina's recipe UNLESS YOU SOAK THEM. I tried her way, it took 3 hrs (with a lid onto get them to the point where I could put the salad together. It is delicious and I have 3 of her cookbooks which I use constantly, but this is the first time I question her method of cooking. Now I know how to handle this first time product and I will make this recipe again and encourage other foodies to try it. Well worth the time.

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I love this salad.

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We are making it right now. I'll let you know how it turns out.

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I tried a wheat berry salad at a local health food store and HAD to try a recipe on my own. I love this recipe. The balsamic vinegar gives the recipe a great flavor. I made the recipe as is but just added some edamame.

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I've made this I don't know how many times since first trying it a couple months ago. I make it pretty much as-is except I use white balsamic vinegar which I just about double - oh, and I always double the recipe and it lasts about a week (5-7 days and still tastes great. I read the other reviews about cooking time and soaking the wheatberries overnight and I can say that I haven't had a problem with them at all. Even using wheatberries from two different sources, they always take 45 minutes to cook perfectly with no pre-soaking (low simmer, uncovered, amount of berries and water measured per instructions, drain off the little bit of water that's left when they're done - perfectly chewy!. I'll also often add some chunks of feta for some protein. I love this dish and will continue to make it often. Think I may try some dried cranberries in it next time...

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This recipe was perfect and allowed for lots of additions to make it your own way; I added basil, edamame and tomates. I also found that cooking at a mid/high boil with the lid on, the wheatberry texture was perfect @ 50 minutes, no soaking beforehand.

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I love this salad. For extra flavor, you and throw in extra veggies.