Everything Roasted Warm Red Winter Wheat Berry Salad

Everything Roasted Warm Red Winter Wheat Berry Salad

This morning was cold, very cold, -7C (19F) cold... So I let myself  linger under a blanket for a few extra minutes before I rushed myself out of a bed. Then I had my traditional ritual "wake me up" dance (you know, the one when you move all your limbs in different directions), which this morning turned out to be a "warm me up dance". 
You know I am not a morning person, not at all. And my kids, bless their hearts, have been so kind to let me sleep just a little longer, like 2-3 minutes longer on a school day mornings. 
Today when I finally got out of the bed and came to the dining room, the teenager was doing the same "warm me up" dance. After a quick breakfast we left for the car, continue moving our limbs, almost performing a break dance on a parking lot. 
That's when I thought of something warm and comfortable for lunch, and Everything Roasted Warm Winter Wheat Berry Salad idea came to me. 
What else would you think of on a parking lot?! :)

Fennel

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Everything Roasted Warm Red Winter Wheat Berry Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked red winter wheat (see notes)
• 1/2 fennel bulb
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1 turnip
• 1 parsley root
• 1/2 squash
• 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried herbs mix (basil, oregano, rosemary, coriander, chives, marjoram)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2-3 Tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

Vegetables 

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).

Cut fennel, carrot, red pepper, turnip, parsley root and squash into wedges, place in a large bowl, add dried herbs and olive oil, and mix. 
Transfer all vegetables to a baking sheet, and bake 25-30 minutes.
Wash and dry the bowl. 
Mix roasted vegetables and cooked wheat berries with lemon juice and chopped parsley.
Sprinkle with chia seeds and serve.

Red Winter Wheat Berries

Notes:
1. Dry wheat berries take a long time to cook, about 2-3 hours. If you pre-soak it for 8-10 hours, the cooking time will be reduced 30 minutes. I usually pre-soak wheat berries from 10 to 24 hours, rinsing it a few times before cooking. Then I keep cooked wheat berries in the refrigerator and add to my soups, salads, breads, and etc. 
2. This recipe has no salt in the ingredient list as it doesn't need any: you have all that flavor from the dried herbs, enhanced by the heat, plus lemon juice and fresh parsley. However, if you wish to, you can add salt and pepper to taste.

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Now, I am off to another dance, a happy belly dance!

See you,
Marina

Cold Summer Salad: Spicy Barley and Sorrel

Spicy Barley and Sorrel Salad

Why sorrel, a culinary herb with lemony flavor and delightful green leaves,  a common ingredient in salads, soups, stews, and even sauces for hundreds of years, vanished from many kitchens? 

Sorrel

It rarely appears in US markets as it must be used immediately after harvest (shelf life of sorrel is 2-3 days), hence to have a reliable supply of sorrel I grow my own. 

Sorrel and parsley from my garden

Europeans grow and use sorrel as an herb and for medicinal use. As medicinal remedy sorrel was highly valued for centuries for it's ability to prevent scurvy due to high  level of vitamin C. It also has vitamin A, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. 
However, people with rheumatism, kidney and bladder stones should eat a small amount of sorrel, as oxalic acid can exasperate these conditions. 

Sorrel soup

I start cooking with sorrel when the first young light-green tender leaves appear in the garden, and use it in my cooking until frost damages leaves in late fall. 
I am not the only one who enjoys sorrel as a meal: rabbits love to nibble on young leaves too. We "negotiated" with rabbits by building a net fence around the herb garden, and whatever grows beyond the net, rabbits can have.

Dicing instrument is a workhorse when it comes to chopping 

Spicy Barley and Sorrel Salad

Cook 1 cup pearled barley according to instruction (usually 1 cup barley is boiled in 4 cups water for 40 minutes), drain the excess water and refrigerate.

Now, it's dicing time: one bell pepper, 5-6 cucumbers, 2-3 tomatoes.

Combine all diced ingredients with chilled barley, squeeze one lemon in it, a teaspoon olive oil (optional), add 4-5 chopped parsley sprigs, and a handful of sorrel chiffonade (stack the leaves, roll tightly, and cut across into thin ribbons).

Mix well, salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours for all flavor to bland. Serve with a few slices of chili pepper. 

Barley and sorrel salad (not spicy yet)

This salad was a gamble with my men: Mr. I.V. doesn't like barley, except in this meal, and teenager has his very own view on what is food. My job is to blend something healthy in what they eat. We negotiated to have a salad before each meal, and here my creativity is put to the test.  I was pleasantly surprised when they both asked for more. Today it was my little victory! 

What is your favorite meal with sorrel?

See you,
Marina