Rev: Wheat Berry Salad with Dried Fruit (July 03)

[beckms]

I didn't find a review of this yet...

I made this tonight to take for lunch tomorrow. I halved the recipe, but oh I wish I hadn't! I snuck a bite before sticking it in the fridge, and oh oh oh! Yum!

I've never had wheat berries before, and I really like them. They're sort of like barley, but not mealy at all.

Instead of buying all of the dried fruits it called for (which would have been very very expenive, especially since you only use a tiny bit of each fruit!), I used a dried fruit mix from Trader Joe's. It has dried cranberries, cherries, blueberries, and raisins. I think the point is just to get some sweet/tart dried fruits in there, so there's definitely room for flexibility.

I also subbed walnuts for the almonds, because I already had some. Again, just get the crunch and taste of a toasted nut in there, and you get the point of the recipe.

The Gouda is perfect; soft, mild, nutty...a great foil for the vinegary dressing.

Very very tasty, a definite repeater.

['lil cooker]

Thanks so much for your review. I bought some wheat berries over the week-end and have planned to make this. At Whole Foods, the bin was labeled "spelt" - these are the same as wheat berries, no?

[valchemist]

spelt and wheatberries are not the same thing. they look very similar, though, and they can be interchanged in most recipes. (spelt is higher in protein and can be tolerated by people with wheat allergies.)

here is a thread with a review of this recipe.

wheatberry salad review (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=42518&highlight=wheatberries)

I plan to make it today or tomorrow.

['lil cooker]

Thanks, Val. I'll try the spelt and hope it works OK!

[beckms]

I got my wheatberries at Whole Foods, and they were labelled as such. I hope it's just as tasty with spelt!

Aah. When I searched for a review, I searched for wheat and berry as two words. Gosh darn search function...:rolleyes:

[valchemist]

This salad is excellent!! I am so happy that I made one and a half times the recipe. I am the only one eating it, but I will easily devour this whole salad without getting tired of it.

I was a bit worried about the raw shallots and green onions because I am usually very sensitive to raw onions and garlic. But the shallots and green onions are mild enough that they don't bother me. I didn't use all the different dried fruits. I just used dried cranberries (and increased the amount to compensate for the lack of other dried fruit). I used pecans and didn't toast them (lazy). I couldn't find plain raspberry vinegar -- just raspberry white balsamic, so I used that.

I would have never thought to include diced cheese (especially not diced gouda) in a salad like this, but it works wonderfully.

the different flavors and textures going on in this salad is great. I typed it into mastercook for safe keeping since I am sure to repeat it. and I rarely repeat recipes.



* Exported from MasterCook *

Wheatberry Salad with Dried Fruit

Make this salad in advance so the flavors have time to mellow. This salad is high in fiber, flavorful, filling, and easy to pack.

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Salads

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 c water
1 c uncooked wheatberries
1/2 c minced shallots
1/4 c cranberry juice
2 tbsps vegetable oil
3 tbsps raspberry vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsps dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c coarsely chopped dried cranberries
1/2 c diced gouda cheese -- (2 oz)
1/3 c chopped green onions
1/3 c slivered almonds -- toasted
1/4 c dried currants
1/2 c coarsely chopped dried cherries
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine water and wheatberries in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Combine shallots and next 6 ingredients (shallots through salt) in a large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes.

Add wheatberries and remaining ingredients to vinaigrette, and toss to combine. Chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

Source:
"Cooking Light, July 2003"



NOTES :

yield 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
355 cal (30% from fat), 11.7g fat (2.7g sat, 4.4 g mono, 3.8 g poly), 9.4 g protein, 55.2 g carb, 7.8 g fiber

[Grace]

Ok Val - you convinced me!!! I originally thought I'd make this, then I looked again, and something about it sounded wierd (maybe the cheese?), so I thought, no, I think I'll skip this one afterall. But with a review like that, I think I'll go ahead and try it! Now, to find those wheatberries.....

['lil cooker]

Thanks for the review. Still planning to make this... the fridge is just so FULL!!! I've been on a cooking rampage, since business is slow!

[kristalsnow7]

I thought this was very tasty. I pretty much followed the recipe, except I was too lazy to toast the almonds. Also, I misread the recipe and used about 1/2 cup of green onions instead of 1/3 cup. No big deal, I suppose. I really loved the combination of the gouda with the sweet fruit. Unusual, but delicious. I brought it to a potluck today, along with some other CL recipes (the Spicy Red Lentil Dal with Pita----huge hit!) and everyone really liked it and wanted the recipe.

[imloulou]

YUM...YUM...YUM!!!!

This sums up the Wheatberry Salad with Dried Fruit. It was so full of flavor and texture. The dressing was a perfect mix for the fruit and wheatberries! This is now a permenant recipe in my "Tried and True" cookbook!

Lisa in FL

[Lynn B]

DOUBLE YUM!!!

Made this tonight... a very fun recipe! I followed it (almost!) exactly by using all of the various dried fruits... BUT I could NOT find raspberry vinegar ANYWHERE. :( (The downside to "country living"!) I looked in all 3 of our grocery stores and the closest I could come was raspberry balsamic vinegar, so that's what I used. BUT I think next time I will skip the vinegar and the oil and just use a nice raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing instead.

Anyway, two thumbs up for this unusual recipe. It was my first experience w/ wheat berries -- but definitely NOT MY LAST! mmm, mmm, good! :)

Lynn

[slawrence]

I made this last night to have today for lunch. Big thumbs up! My DH gave it an "A" and those are hard to come by from him. Definitely a repeater here. Sue

[Peggy]

Glad to see all of the good reviews for this salad. It is on our menu for our July Supper Club dinner!

Peggy

[Terrytx]

Count me in on the great reviews! Love it. The DH and I are also having it for lunches.

[wallycat]

dumb questions ahead...

do you think sharp cheddar would work in this?
also, what did everyone serve with this?? was this the main item or did you have sides or anything else??

Thanks...

[imloulou]

Cheddar would probably be just fine.

I served it as the main dish with a green salad side dish.

Yum...I just finished leftovers today!

Lisa

[valchemist]

Cheddar would be okay I guess. but I think a relatively soft cheese would be best. I just ate this salad for lunches. But I think it would be fine for a light summer dinner. (for me, anyway. not for DH, though.)

[Terrytx]

I had it as a main meal (lunch) with a crusty roll.

[Pico]

Do you think this would be good with cracked wheat (bulgur)? I'd probably just soak it like I do for tabbouleh, then add the other ingredients as written. My tiny grocery store doesn't carry wheat berries, but I'd been eyeing this recipe. And your reviews are making my mouth water!

[Terrytx]

I think it would work alright.

[JHolcomb]

OK, two questions:

One, will smoked gouda work? It was all they had at Whole Foods, oddly enough. I like smoked gouda a lot normally, if that helps.

Two, because of the fact that I'm a cheapskate and already have 8 diff't kinds of vinegar in my pantry already, could I sub another vinegar for the raspberry vinegar? I was thinking champagne vinegar, since it's pretty mild. I'm trying to get rid of some stuff before we move and would love to get my vinegar collection gone before next month. if it wouldn't work on its own, do you think I could make raspberry vinegar myself using the champagne vinegar? If so, how and how long would it take?


Oh, and I plan on serving it as a side with pork tenderloin and green salad.
TIA,
Jen

[Terrytx]

Originally posted by JHolcomb
OK, two questions:

One, will smoked gouda work? It was all they had at Whole Foods, oddly enough. I like smoked gouda a lot normally, if that helps.

Two, because of the fact that I'm a cheapskate and already have 8 diff't kinds of vinegar in my pantry already, could I sub another vinegar for the raspberry vinegar? I was thinking champagne vinegar, since it's pretty mild. I'm trying to get rid of some stuff before we move and would love to get my vinegar collection gone before next month. if it wouldn't work on its own, do you think I could make raspberry vinegar myself using the champagne vinegar? If so, how and how long would it take?


Oh, and I plan on serving it as a side with pork tenderloin and green salad.
TIA,
Jen

I used smoked Gouda, cause it's what I had and it is delicious and I think you could sub champage vinegar. I don't see that the raspberry vinegar was that outstanding.

[CompassRose]

I made this... couldn't resist the reviews.

With changes. Quelle surprise! Including using a combination of wheat berries, whole pot (not pearl) barley and a bit of TVP (for extra protein). Instead of Gouda, I put in low-fat Danbo (http://eat.epicurious.com/dictionary/food/index.ssf?DEF_ID=1370) cheese, which is one of the few low-fat cheeses that really tastes like cheese.

I had it for (blush!) breakfast. It was extremely good. There is a lot left over (though I halved the recipe). I'll probably have some for supper, perhaps on a bed of greens with some soup.

[jennanne]

Just a short note to say I made this with champagne vinegar instead of raspberry and it was fantastic!

I had this for dinner and I can hardly wait until tommorrow to have more. I would have never thought to put these ingredients together in a salad.

Yum!

[Peggy]

This is an awesome salad!! We had it at our Supper Club last night and it was the favorite recipe of the evening!

Peggy

[sherri]

I made this last night, yum, yum
Just a few changes, I used only 1 Tbsp oil (olive) used only cranberrie and used gorgonzola cheese (what I had on hand)
It was great!

[kristalsnow7]

Oooh, Sherri, gorgonzola cheese sounds especially yummy!

[joanieb]

Ggggrrrrr! I was ready to partake in making this over the weekend, but Whole Foods threw me a curve! They had 2 kinds of wheatberries!!! Did you guys use hard or soft? I had just had my eyes dilated and couldn't read the teeney print about cooking them, and I figured it might really make a difference which kind I bought!!

Thanks for any input!!

joanie

[kristalsnow7]

I noticed two different kinds of wheatberries, too. I wasn't sure which ones to use, but I opted for the soft wheatberries, since I thought they would cook faster. They worked out perfectly.

[sherri]

Yes, the gorgonzola cheese was yummy, especially with the sweet cranberries. I used spelt berries, wheatberry and kamut berries in interchangably (?sp) all the time. I think my wheatberries are called winter wheat berries?

[joanieb]

Thank you, Kristal, for the info! I'll be back out at Whole Foods tomorrow AM (another eye appt., hopefully no dilation this time!) and wanted to grab a scoopful out of the bin. Soft wheatberries it is!!!

Thanks again!!
joanie

[Grace]

I wondered about this too, as I ran into both kinds of wheatberries at Whole Foods as well.

I ended up getting the hard ones, as the small print said the hard ones took like an hour or something to cook, while the soft ones (which you would think by the name would take a shorter time) said they neede soaking overnight and an even longer cooking time?

I hope I didn't get the wrong ones! :o :(

[kristalsnow7]

Uh oh. Now I am confused, too! I am almost positive I bought the soft wheatberries, and cooked them for an hour. I really didn't remember seeing any small print, so I just kind of went on instinct. I guess now I would maybe ask someone at Whole Foods which kind would be better for the recipe. I'm sorry if I gave confusing/ wrong advice! :rolleyes:

[joanieb]

Kristal, Grace--I'll take the magazine w/me tomorrow and ask the Whole Foods Folks. Even if I can't see the teeney print or the recipe, they should be able to!!! Will report back, if we don't get further clarification from the devotees here!

joanie

[Grace]

joanie, that would be great. I've tried to do some research on the web and found several sites that do say the hard berries take longer to cook than the soft ones, so now I'm thoroughly confused too. Either the bins at Whole Foods were mismarked, or I was on drugs when I was reading them! :D

If you could let us know what they say that would be so great, as I plan to make this for my supper club on Thursday night, and I already bought the hard wheat berries! But I can go back for some soft ones if I need to.

[Jen]

Add me to the list of people who loved this salad! I too was disappointed that I'd halved the recipe. The serving size isn't huge, but it's very filling. I think with a small bowl of veggie soup or something it would be perfect for lunch (I actually cut the recipe in half and made two servings instead of three, and it was almost too much food!). I loved the gouda cheese...I think other cheeses would work too, but there was something about the creaminess of the gouda that worked really well. And I loved the raspberry flavour in this from the vinegar, but I think cider vinegar would make a good substitute...or just use all balsamic.

[JBR]

I only found hard wheatberries at Whole Foods. I'm not sure what the difference is, but I bought them to make this salad on Thursday. I'll report back with what I find out . . .

Judy

[Jen]

Oh, I was also going to say...

My store doesn't carry "wheat berries". But they carry "red wheat kernels" (or something like that), and I'm pretty sure it's the same thing. They're just hard brown kernels, but they cook up nice and crunchy, with a similar texture to barley. Hopefully I was using the right thing!!

Here's a photo off of foodsubs.com...

http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/wheatberries.jpg

It also says wheat berries = hard wheat berries (but soft wheat berries are suggested as a quicker substitute).

[joanieb]

OKAY!!! The gosh darn directions on the hard & soft wheatberry bins at our Whole Foods are identical!!! Soak overnite, boil l5 min for parboil, 50-60 for cooked. I was surprised that the soft kernels were quite a bit bigger (maybe they're soaked/swollen to be softer?). The sweet little green-haired clerk in produce scurried me off to the deli, where one of the chefs kindly advised that they use the soft berries for their savory wheatberry salad (no sample available, shucks!), NOT TO SOAK OVERNITE, just go w/the directions in CL's recipe. I asked (for Grace) did he think the hard ones would work just as well, and he thought the only difference might be in a slightly longer cooking time, maybe l0-l5 min, he suggested. Hope that helps a bit!

joanie b

[Grace]

joanie, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! You're such a dear to go to all that trouble for us (me!!). I'm going to go ahead and use the hard wheat berries I have and just cook them a little longer. I'll report back how it turned out. But thanks again joanie for doing all the asking at the store! Isn't this board great??!! :D :D

[JBR]

I made the salad today with hard wheatberries from Whole Foods. I didn't soak, and they took about 1 hour and 15 minutes to cook.

The salad is "resting" in the refridgerator for dinner tonight! I can't wait!

Judy

[Grace]

YAY! The hard wheatberries worked! I made the salad tonight for supper club, and it was a big hit. I will be making it again, and I won't worry which kind of wheatberry I use - either works. I cooked my hard berries for just over an hour and they were just fine. Thanks again joanie for doing all the checking for me. I really appreciate it! :D

[joanieb]

Sorry, folks--just l more clarification on this salad, please. I'm still trying to do this one, but kept leaving my wheatberries and gouda in the office fridge all week after buying them Tuesday! Did you guys use cranberry juice cocktail OR right-out-of-the-bog, unsweetened, pucker-like-you-ain't-seen-your-honey-in-ages pure cranberry juice? I have both, but am thinking the straight stuff might make this too sour. Thanks for any input!

Grace, no problem, just glad those of us who were late getting to this one could get a "professional" opinion, w/all the confusion w/Whole Foods instructions, your research, etc.--I was there, anyhoo, to get my berries and try to find some vinegar--haven't found anything w/raspberry on it around here YET, so went w/champagne like someone else in this thread suggested. I was amused to see that the deli guy who talked to me wrote down the CL issue & recipe title--I think he was interested enough that local patrons might be seeing this salad make a debut in Chapel Hill!

jb

[sweetpea]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents and what i learned!
First of all, Wild Oats only had what they called "hard winter wheat" in the bulk food and that is the same thing as wheat berries--so if that is what your store carries--use it! they just looked right b/c they were whole kernels. They worked fine.
Secondly, i posted a thread about blackberry vinegar recipe for those who wanted to use raspberry vinegar but couldn't fine it--in case you want to make your own! Just do a search for "blackberry vinegar" --i don't know how to insert links! :(
DH thought this was a great recipe and gave it two thumbs way up--i agree!
joanieb--probably too late, but i did use cranberry juice, not cocktail.

[CompassRose]

Originally posted by joanieb
[B]Sorry, folks--just l more clarification on this salad, please. I'm still trying to do this one, but kept leaving my wheatberries and gouda in the office fridge all week after buying them Tuesday!
That sounds scary...

Did you guys use cranberry juice cocktail OR right-out-of-the-bog, unsweetened, pucker-like-you-ain't-seen-your-honey-in-ages pure cranberry juice? I have both, but am thinking the straight stuff might make this too sour. Thanks for any input!
Myself, I never have any juice in the house at all (don't drink it), so what I in fact used was frozen, unsweetened crans pureed into the dressing mixture. I thought it was plenty sweet, with all the dried fruit, but your mileage might vary.

[Peggy]

Last weekend I made this reicpe for the second time. I ended up making it with barley instead of wheat berries:rolleyes: ...a long story of mistaken identity. Just wanted to post to say that it came out really well with the barley also. The only difference was in the cookng time. My barley was ready in about 35 minutes instead of one hour.

Peggy

[wallycat]

Originally posted by joanieb
Did you guys use cranberry juice cocktail OR right-out-of-the-bog, unsweetened, pucker-like-you-ain't-seen-your-honey-in-ages pure cranberry juice? I have both, but am thinking the straight stuff might make this too sour. Thanks for any input!

jb

I used the Knudsen cranberry concentrate, undiluted and unsweetened....I like the "pucker-power" it gives, but DH hinted that maybe a touch of honey or something would make it nicer.

[shoyski]

I'd like to ask one more question, please....:o

What do you guys think of subbing orange juice for the cranberry juice? TIA :)

[wallycat]

I would think it would be fine.
Certainly not as strong as unsweetened cranberry juice concentrate :D but probably equal to cranberry juice that is sweetened :)

[shoyski]

Cool! :cool:

Thanks for the reply. :)