Wheat Berry Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Peppers
Prep Time1 hourhr
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr20 minutesmins
Course: Salad, Side Dish
serves: 6
Ingredients:
1cupwheat berries, well washed and drained
4-5 ripe tomatoes, medium size
2bell peppers
1-2 chili peppers (traditionally green) , use more or less depending on how spicy you prefer
½cupparsely, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
3tablespoonsolive oil
juice from half a lemon (2-3 tablespoons)
½teaspoonsalt, or more to taste + a teaspoon of salt for cooking the wheat
½teaspoonblack pepper
Instructions:
Cooking the wheat berries - place the wheat berries in a pot with plenty of water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and continue to cook over a medium heat until the wheat is ready, about 45 minutes. If during cooking the water evaporates - add more boiling water. At the end of cooking, drain the wheat from the excess water and allow to cool. If you choose to soak the wheat before cooking, the cooking time will be shorter (see notes at the end of the recipe).
Cooking and charring the vegetables - can be done on the grill, in a griddle pan or in the oven.On the grill or in a griddle pan: make sure that the grill / griddle pan is very hot. Place the tomatoes, bell peppers and chili peppers on the grates/ pan and roast them well until the vegetables are tender and the peel is burnt. Rotate the vegetables every few minutes so that the burn is done on all sides. The tomatoes and chili will take about 15 minutes, the sweet peppers about 25 minutes in total. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.In the oven: preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Cut the bell peppers lengthwise in half and get rid of the sting and seeds. Place in a pan with the part of the peel facing up and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, add the tomatoes and chili pepper to the pan and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before the next step.
Roughly peel off some of the vegetables' burnt peel using a clean kitchen towel / kitchen paper or just very clean hands. Make sure not to completely peel the vegetables and leave some of the burnt peel, it has lots of good flavors in it. Remove and discard the stings of the peppers, as well as the seeds. The seeds of the chili pepper can be left, keep in mind that they are spicy of course.
Transfer the charred vegetables to a cutting board and chop them coarsely. Keep all the wonderful fluids that come from the vegetables, they have plenty of flavors and we'll add it later to the salad.
In a large mixing bowl place the cooked wheat, burnt and chopped vegetables and all the juices drained from them. Add chopped parsley, crushed garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir gently until all the ingredients are evenly coated. Taste and add salt if necessary. Enjoy!
Notes:
Instead of wheat you can use farro (spelled wheat), freekeh or coarse bulgur.For a gluten-free version, you can use rice, preferably whole rice. Cooking time will vary accordingly.
Some people prefer to soak the wheat before cooking.Soaking wheat can be from a minimum of an hour to half a day.The cooking time of the wheat will vary accordingly, and can also be 25-30 minutes for wheat that has undergone long soaking.