Thursday, May 28, 2009

Wheatberry Salad with Cherries and Roasted Asparagus

Wheatberry Salad with Cherries and Roasted Asparagus

When you see my next few posts coming up, you will understand why I have been needing something fresh in my diet lately. This free time has left me with plenty of time to bake, but when it comes down to putting a real meal on the table, I have been suffering. Lucky for me, I had some asparagus left from the poached egg and asparagus and some cherries left from my Daring Bakers challenge. I thought they would be really great together in a sweet and savory salad. Recently Raul gave me another 10 pounds of lemons (or maybe less) so I used one to make a quick dressing and then laid the whole mess on a pile of arugula. To be honest, I actually made most of the salad the day before, but then had to jet out quickly to join one of the Prop 8 rallies so the rest of this came together quickly and easily. All I had to do to finish the salad was top it with a bit of my favorite goat's milk feta from the farmers market. It is a simple and delicious way to enjoy the tastes of summer and it all ties together from the sweet cherries to the nuttiness of the roasted asparagus and the sharp bite of the arugula and chew from the wheatberrries. This salad would definitely be great with some toasted pine nuts or walnuts to bring it all together and if you are a meat eater, a side of chicken breast could probably seal the deal too.


Wheatberry Salad with Cherries and Roasted Asparagus

Wheatberry Salad with Cherries and Roasted Asparagus
(By Esi)

Makes 2 servings

1/2 cup hard wheatberries (you can use soft wheatberries and reduce the cooking time)
10 stalks thin asparagus, trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup cherries, pitted and halved
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1-2 handfuls baby arugula
Crumbled feta

Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil. Add the wheatberries and cook for 40-50 minutes until they are tender (reduce the cooking time by half if using soft wheatberries). Drain and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Toss the asparagus with a bit of oil and salt and pepper and roast for 10-15 minutes until tender. Once they have cooled, slice the asparagus into 1-2 inch spears.

Mix the lemon juice with one tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. In a large bowl mix together the wheatberries, cherries and asparagus spears. Toss wheatberry mixture with half of the dressing.

Toss a few handfuls of arugula with the remaining dressing. Lay the arugula on a plate and top with the wheatberry mixture. Finish with a few sprinkles of crumbled feta. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Printable Recipe

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24 comments:

Olga said...

woo hoo, i get to leave the first comment :)

This looks like a great salad! LOVE cherries. YUM

Evan said...

Yes, please.

Maris said...

Hmmm...I might have to skip out of work to go home and make that!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Very original! That salad looks so delicious!

Cheers,

Rosa

Sara said...

This looks so fresh and healthy. I have been wanting to make a wheatberry salad. I think I will try it this weekend.

Marta said...

Yay on returning to work! Are you excited? Is it a job you like? I hope you're happy about the situation :)
This salad looks great, I absolutely adore the yellow cherries, they're sweeter, I find. As you say, some toasted pinenuts would be perfect in here too! Great job!

Erica said...

You got a new job? Thats fabulous! I love fruit on salads...its just perfect! Again, can't wait to get my hands on some cherries!!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Your salad looks delicious! You are returning to work? That's great. Enjoy the weekend. First week on a new job is always difficult.

Diana said...

I think we have similar tastes, because I love everything you put into that salad! I'm so excited for cherry season!

kellypea said...

Spectacularly beautiful salad Esi! Wow. I love the combo of flavors you chose. We love fruit in salad around here, but I don't think I've tried cherries. We're in a healthy mode here, so have been eating salads all week. I just may have to try cherries in one of them!

lisaiscooking said...

Gorgeous salad, and great combination of flavors!

Esi said...

Hey everyone, hope you're enjoying your day.

Marta, Erica, and Mary, yes, I got a job. It's actually a place I have worked out before so it's more like and old job...

Chef Fresco said...

Ohh this looks great! I've never cooked anything with wheatberry before - definitely am going to have to try it!

test it comm said...

That salad look really good! I like the addition of the sweet cherries.

Unknown said...

fantastic salad! and glad to hear you're heading back to work monday!

elly said...

This looks so great! I love all kinds of grain salads and I've been meaning to make a wheatberry one.

daxphillips said...

I've never used wheat berries, or for that matter even heard of them until today. The salad looks like a great kick start to any afternoon or evening. Good work and congrats on the gig on Monday.

Heather said...

those cherries are just so beautiful!! sounds delicious!

Reeni said...

This is a gorgeous salad! I love all the different flavors - my favorite kind of salad! Yay! For your job!

Kerstin said...

What a lovely salad, so colorful and flavorful!

The Food Librarian said...

Yummy! I hope your new job doesn't crazy suck...and that you'll be able to still bake and cook! :)

The Cooking Photographer said...

This is stunning. I'm going to go back and look at the pic some more now...

Esi said...

Dax, wheatberries are a grain similar to farro or spelt. I got mine in the bulk section at whole foods.

Mary, I *hope* I still have time to bake and cook. It's going to be tough to squeeze it all in.

Laura, you're too kind!

Nicole said...

Yum! Everything about this salad looks tasty.