Skip to main content

Rye Berry and Beet Salad

The color in this picture is a little other-worldly, largely because I was using my cell phone to grab a picture quickly. But also because cooked beets are pretty ethereal in a grain salad like this. 

This is one of those dishes that you can eat and literally feel stronger while having dinner. I like the texture of wheat berry - how it is firm and squeaky as you eat it. But, not everyone might feel the same way, preferring food with a little more give. Up to you.

The original recipe called for serving this salad with a horseradish and yogurt dip. I completely found the dip unnecessary and am not including it here. Link to the original recipe is below, if you would like to try it for yourself. (The original recipe also called for rye berry, which I did not have. In this case, the grain is really pretty interchangeable.)


Wheat Berry and Beet Salad
inspired by a recipe in Food and Wine

1 1/2 lbs beets, scrubbed, greens trimmed, beets chopped
5 T olive oil
1 c wheat berries
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T horseradish


Preheat the oven to 300. On a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, toss the sliced beets with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange the beets in a single layer and roast for about 1 hour, flipping the slices halfway through, until the beets are tender. Chop the beets and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the wheat berries and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 1 hour.

Drain the wheat berries and add them to the bowl with the beets. Add the vinegar, horseradish and the remaining 
3 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Keep warm.



In a small saucepan of boiling water, blanch the beet greens for 2 minutes. Drain and cool under cold water; pat dry. Chop the greens and toss with the beets and rye berries.

Comments

"making you literally feel stronger while eating"

Good insight. It was written somewhere that beets are like spinach and supposedly help build muscle strength.

Popular posts from this blog

Chicken Traybake with Roasted Poblano and Tomato Salsa

  This dish is delicious! Easy! And, beautiful to look at! The original recipe calls for you to process all the cooked vegetables together into a chunky salsa, but I recommend serving it as is so you have an automatic side dish. The original also calls for cooking chicken bone-in, but, the more I cook traybakes, the more I advocate for slicing chicken into tenders and cooking boneless. Just a safer bake that way because everything comes to the same temperature at the same time. Chicken Traybake with Roasted Poblano and Tomato Salsa  Milk Street 1 T chili powder 2 poblano, stemmed, seeded, chopped 1 yellow onion, root end intact, in 8 wedges 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1/4 c olive oil 1 T brown sugar 1 T oregano, dried 3 lb chicken, bone-in, skin-on, trimmed 10 cloves garlic, peeled 1 T vinegar 1/4 c cilantro, chopped Heat oven to 450. In small bowl, stir together chili powder and 2 tsp salt. In large bowl, toss together pobloanos, onion wedges, tomatoes, and 1 T of the chili-power/salt mix

Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles

I love this dish so much that I can barely stand it. Delicious the night it was made, and fantastic as leftovers throughout the week. Mayocoba beans are easily replaced -- try pintos, if you can't find mayocobas. Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles Baptism of Fire 3-4 green chiles, roasted and chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 T lard or olive oil 1/2 tsp oregano 1 tsp cumin pepper 1 c mayocoba beans, dry 3 c water 1 tsp salt Cook the green chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and black pepper in the fat until the onions begin to caramelize. Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the beans sit, uncovered, for an hour. You may drain the water to remove some of the slightly indigestible sugars that cause gassiness. If you decide to drain them, add enough water back into the pot to cover the beans with about 2" of water above the beans for cooking.  Bring the beans back to a boil and cook, until tender. This will take

Crustless Couscous and Spinach Quiche

This "quiche" is so simple to make - you can prepare everything the night before, assemble it in the morning, and have it ready to go soon after waking up. An ideal dish to serve company, too. Crustless Couscous and Spinach Quiche The Garden of Earthly Delights 1 1/2 c water 3/4 c couscous, uncooked 3 eggs, beaten 1 bunch spinach 3/4 c cottage cheese 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded 3 T salsa 1 tsp chile powder 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp oregano, dried 1/2 tsp coarse salt 1/2 tsp pepper Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat a 9" pie plate with vegetable oil and set aside. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add couscous. Stir once, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer couscous to a large bowl and add remaining ingredients. Spread couscous evenly in the bottom of the pie plate. Placein oven and bake until a knife comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Remove quiche from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.