Wheat Berries for Canada Day

I love being Canadian and I love sharing my love of being Canadian through food. Every year I create fun red and white dishes for Canada Day and this year I started a little early so I could share it with you now.

I decided I wanted to try wheat berries for my dish and I'm happy to say they turned out great. I learned a lot of them too.

1. Wheat berries are similar to farro, but much less expensive.
2. They can be toasted in the oven prior to cooking them but they have a nice nutty taste even if you don't do toast them first.
3. They need to be cooked for a really long time, about 50 minutes or more.

Ready for my newest dish, Wheat Berry and Grapefruit Salad? Read on for the recipe.

Wheat Berry and Grapefruit Salad - serves 4

1 cup of wheat berries, toasted if desired
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon oil

1 grapefruit, segmented and 1/4 cup juice squeezed from peel and membrane reserved

1 1/4 cups pineapple juice 

1 cup mayonnaise 

3 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated 

1 tablespoon each of soy sauce and lime juice

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 cup of jicama, cut into matchsticks

6 radishes, sliced into thin coins 

1/3 cup of feta cheese, crumbled or cubed

Salt, to taste 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Cook wheat berries in three cups of salted water at medium heat until chewy, about 50 minutes. 

3. Toss carrots in oil and salt. Lay in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake until soft, about 20 minutes. 

4. While wheat berries and carrots are cooking, prepare your dressing. Cook pineapple and grapefruit juice on medium heat in a medium pot for about 10 minutes or until it's reduced down to about a third and quite syrupy. Stir in mayonnaise, ginger, soy, lime juice, and sesame oil. Let cool.

5. Toss wheat berries in 1/2 cup or so of the dressing to coat well. Add carrots, jicama, and radishes and toss again. Serve in bowls with a few segments of grapefruit and a handful of feta. Enjoy!

This was my new ingredient of the month for June and I'll make it again soon. Since I used a new ingredient, I didn't feel so bad about reusing an old salad dressing. Did anyone remember my dressing from my Hay and Straw Salad?