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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

More More More! (How do you like it?)

Remember when I found wheatberries?  And how excited I was?  I became a little obsessed  (I know - surprise surprise)

I've been using them in everything.  Which explains the wheatberry bread yesterday.  And it explains this lentil and wheatberry salad.

I first saw the recipe on Brady's blog.  She used it with Israeli cous cous and goat cheese.  Both excellent choices.  When I glanced back at the original recipe, I noticed it called for those elusive wheatberries.  It quickly got added to my "to make" list - just as soon as I could find them.  Or, as soon as I could find them and didn't have another use for them.

I had a bunch of perfectly cooked wheatberries left over from my bread making endeavor and I felt this was the perfect opportunity to make this dish.  The sweetness of the onions perfectly complements the saltiness of the feta.  The lentils give it a nice earthy flavor, and the wheatberries are perfectly chewy.

As per the suggestion we served it with lots of hot sauce (well, for Thatboy and I,  Thatbaby got his sans sririacha). 
Wheat berries with Carmelized Onions, Feta, and Lentils (from The Way The Cookie Crumbles)
¾ cup wheat berries
salt
2 onions, sliced about ¼-inch thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup lentils, preferably lentils de puy, picked over and rinsed
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
hot sauce (optional)
lemon wedges (optional)
1. Soak the wheat berries in water for at least an hour and up to overnight. Put them in a pot with enough water to cover by a few inches. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer until they’re tender, 1 to 2 hours. Add ½ teaspoon salt once they’ve started to soften.
2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and ¼ teaspoon salt, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring somewhat frequently, until they just start to brown, about 8 minutes. Reduce to heat to medium-low and continue to cook and stir until the onions are evenly golden brown, about 20 minutes longer.
3. Put the lentils into a small saucepan. Add 3 cups of cold water and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender but not falling apart, about 20 to 25 minutes Drain.
4. Combine the wheat berries, caramelized onions, lentils, and feta. Adjust the seasonings if necessary and serve with either hot sauce or lemon wedges, if desired.

9 comments:

  1. I haven't tried wheat berries yet but will look for them. I love caramelized onions! Yum!

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  2. I really need to get on the wheat berry bandwagon, huh?

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  3. I haven't had that delicious wheat berry chew in MONTHS now! I need to replenish my supplies.

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  4. Looks delicious! I get that way too when new ingredients find their way into my life.

    Velva

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  5. P.S. I am going through my new discovery with peaches at the moment....Cheers to the wheat berries!

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  6. Oh man! Now that flavor is going to be in my head till the longest time. YUM! :-)

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  7. What a fantastic flavor combination!

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  8. When I was young and married and broke we used to soak them and cook them and add them to everything - hamburger - soup - I loved the chewiness they added to my homemade hamburger helper... and loved just eating it with a bit of honey and milk for breakfast as they were chewy and kind of popped... YUM! Looks mighty tasty!
    :)
    V

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  9. It is so nice when people cite recipes correctly, eh?

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