Wheat Berry and Tomato Salad

Name: Wheat Berry and Tomato Salad
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: Serves six
Ingredients: 1 cup farro or wheat berries, rinsed, soaked for several hours or overnight in 1 quart water; Salt; freshly ground pepper; 1 1/2 to 2 cups diced tomatoes; 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar; 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar; 1 cup diced celery or cucumber, or a combination; 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (more to taste); 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 2 ounces feta, crumbled (about 1/2 cup); 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

By Martha Rose Shulman

Total Time: About 2 hours 30 minutes
Rating: 5(165)
Comments: Read comments

Whole wheat berries lend themselves to both summer and winter dishes. Much of the flavor in this salad comes from the tangy juice of chopped tomatoes, almost like a marinade for the chewy wheat. The salad is all about texture, with crunchy celery (or cucumber) and soft feta contrasting with wheat.

Featured in: The Unlikely Staples of Summer

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves six

1cup farro or wheat berries, rinsed, soaked for several hours or overnight in 1 quart water
Salt
freshly ground pepper
1½ to 2cups diced tomatoes
1tablespoon sherry vinegar
1teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1cup diced celery or cucumber, or a combination
3tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (more to taste)
3tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2ounces feta, crumbled (about ½ cup)
1 to 2tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Place the wheat berries and their soaking water in a large saucepan. Add salt to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer one hour or until the grains are tender and beginning to splay. Turn off the heat, and allow the wheat berries to sit in the hot water for another 15 minutes. Drain.
Step 2
While the wheat berries are cooking, dice the tomatoes and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt, and add the sherry and balsamic vinegars. Toss together, and let sit for one hour.
Step 3
After you drain the wheat berries, toss with the tomatoes and juices. Allow to marinate together for one hour. Add the remaining ingredients, and toss together. Refrigerate until ready to serve, or serve at once.

Tip

Advance preparation: This salad keeps well for several hours in the refrigerator.Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.

Ratings

5 out of 5

165 user ratings

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Comments

SonomaSMB7 years ago

This is a quintessential Martha Rose Shulman salad, well-balanced textures and beautiful flavors.

The only things I'm always tempted to add are onions. In this case, red onions are wonderful.

I'm guessing Martha doesn't like raw onions? ;)

A7 years ago

Great! If you use really fresh, sweet summer tomatoes, it barely needs even 1 tbs of olive oil. I used a full English cucumber and well over 2 cups of diced tomatoes and still had plenty of dressing - in fact, the farro/wheat berries at the bottom of the bowl with the excess might have been the best part!

Elle10 months ago

So simple, so easy, so good! I used the cucumber option; also used Rye berries because I like them better. Even after skimping on the marinating time, it was still outstanding! Note: this makes a LOT of salad, easily more than 6 servings.

Leah10 months ago

Made with farro. Even better the next day!

waterloom3 years ago

An excellent recipe. Healthy, tasty, and relatively easy to make. I used goat cheese instead of feta because that’s what I had. Delicious and a good way to feed a crowd.

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