Photo: Warm Wheat Berry and Mushroom Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups wheat berries
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 bundle fresh thyme
- Kosher salt
- 4 ounces slab bacon, cut into lardons
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds assorted mushrooms, sliced (shiitake, cremini or oyster work well)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
Directions
Put the wheat berries in a medium saucepan and toss in the bay leaf and thyme bundle. Fill the pan with water and season abundantly with salt. Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the wheat berries until they are soft, 1 hour. Drain the wheat berries and reserve.
In a large straight-sided saute pan, render the bacon until almost crispy. Add a few drops of olive oil and add the onions. Season the onions with salt, a pinch of crushed red pepper and the rosemary. Bring the pan to a medium heat and cook the onions for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Add the mushrooms and stir to coat with the oil. Season the mushrooms with salt and cook them for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the wine and cook until the wine has reduced by half. Toss in the wheat berries and the chicken stock. Cook until the stock has reduced almost all the way but the salad is not dry.
Stir in the parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.
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By cpacker
San Francisco
on September 24, 2012
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I have never cooked with wheat berries before and I thought this recipe was really delicious. I used about half of the salt (maybe even 1/4 that was recommended, more mushrooms, and added a bunch of chopped kale. The flavor of all the herbs and the bacon was perfect, although I might try it with pancetta next time. I am going to try using wheat berries with my favorite risotto recipes.
By cspaulding46060...
Noblesville, IN
on September 28, 2011
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I made this tonight and really love it. I found wheat berries at Whole Foods, they had a white parboiled varity and a red hard variety, I chose the red hard and soaked overnight then cooked as directed and it turned out perfectly. I am thinking maybe the the parboiled would not have to soak overnight. After reading the reviews, I did not salt the boiling water, and I was not overly generous salting the mushrooms and onions when cooking and had to add just a little bit more at the end. I'd rather add a little at the end than have a dish that is too salty to fix. This was very easy to make, and very good. I will be making again.
By LianneNC
North Carolina
on September 25, 2011
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I'm going to give this five stars for taste, but I apparently used the wrong kind of wheatberries-- the ones I got weren't as big as the ones I saw on the show, and even though I cooked them for almost 90 minutes they were still very chewy. Next time I think I'm going to try making this with barley instead.
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