YIELDS:
6 servings
PREP TIME:
0 hours 10 mins
COOK TIME:
1 hours 0 mins
TOTAL TIME:
1 hours 10 mins
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ingredients
1 1/2 Cups Shipetaukin Soft White Wheat Berries
3/4 Cup Pistachios, toasted and chopped
2 Stalks celery, finely chopped
4 Oz. Tart dried cherries
2 Scallions, chopped
1/2 Cup Fresh Italian Parsley, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. Fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
1) Boil 6 Cups of water on the stove. Add the wheat berries. Reduce heat and simmer covered for about an hour, or until tender. Drain the excess liquid. Add the wheat berries to a large bowl.
2) While the wheat berries are cooking, toast the pistachios in a small skillet on the stove over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant. Shake the pan often to prevent burning. Put it to the side.
3) Add the celery, nuts, cherries, scallions and parsley to the wheat berries and toss to combine.
4) In a small jar, add the oil and vinegar, a large pinch of salt and about 20 grinds of the fresh pepper. Put the lid on and shake vigorously to combine.
5) Add to the salad and toss well to combine. Serve with your favorite protein as a side dish or enjoy as a light and healthy lunch.
NOTES: My wheat berry, cherry and pistachio salad has everything you want in a side dish. It is chewy and nutty, has pops of sweet and tart from the cherries and a little crunch from the nuts. I really enjoyed this as a light lunch too.
The first step is to cook the wheat berries. You’ll need to boil 6 cups of water then add the wheat berries. Lower the heat and simmer covered for about an hour until tender. Test it. When they are soft, but still have a bit of chew, they are ready. Drain them in a colander.
While the wheat berries are cooking, I prep my nuts, fruit and veggies/herbs. I chop up my parsley and scallions. Then, I toast my chopped pistachios in a small skillet on the stove for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Watch the pan so the nuts don’t burn. I put everything to the side until the wheat berries are ready.
This is the kind of recipe where you could certainly substitute raisins, apricots or prunes for the cherries and almost any nut for the pistachios. Pecans, almonds and hazelnuts would all work.
If you haven’t worked with wheat berries before, let me answer some of the most frequently asked questions about them.
Once the wheat berries are done, I combine them and all the other prepped ingredients in a large bowl. I mix my olive oil, lemon juice, a large pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper in a jar with a lid and shake it to combine. I then dress the salad and toss well so everything is combined.
Serve this in a large bowl as a side dish or have it as a light lunch. I loved it the next day. It holds up great in the refrigerator so it is a great option for BBQs and buffets too. If you would like to try Shipetaukin’s Soft White Wheat Berries, be sure to use my code on your first order for an immediate 20% savings. Code: 20MyCurated
If you like this recipe, try some of my other favorite grain recipes:
Wheat Berry Vegetable Salad with Dried Fruit and Walnuts
Mandarin Oranges, Pomegranate & Pistachio Farro Salad
Fonio with Pistachios and Apricots
Fig, Almond & Mint Quinoa Salad with Lemon Honey Vinaigrette
