This lunch-friendly recipe offers an innovative way to keep frozen cauliflower florets from turning into a mash: Let the hot water and wheat berries defrost and blanch them right in the same colander.
Spring white wheat berries offer a soft, luxurious texture, and that's what we used here; kamut berries have a buttery, sophisticated accent.
Make Ahead: The salad can be refrigerated for several days.
Servings: 4 When you scale a recipe, keep in mind that cooking times and temperatures, pan sizes and seasonings may be affected, so adjust accordingly. Also, amounts listed in the directions will not reflect the changes made to ingredient amounts.
When you scale a recipe, keep in mind that cooking times and temperatures, pan sizes and seasonings may be affected, so adjust accordingly. Also, amounts listed in the directions will not reflect the changes made to ingredient amounts.
Tested size: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw wheat berries, preferably spring white wheat berries or kamut berries (see headnote)
- 12 ounces frozen small cauliflower florets (do not defrost)
- 1/4 cup store-bought green olive tapenade
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup hulled, unsalted sunflower seeds, toasted (see NOTE)
Directions
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the wheat berries, then partially cover and reduce the heat to low; cook until tender, about 50 minutes.
Just before the wheat berries are done, place the cauliflower florets in a large colander set in the sink. Drain the wheat berries, pouring them directly over the florets. Let stand for 1 minute, then rinse under cool water to stop further cooking. Drain well.
Whisk together the tapenade, oil, vinegar, sage, cinnamon and black pepper in a large bowl until a little creamy and well blended. Add the wheat berries and cauliflower, as well as the raisins and sunflower seeds. Toss well before serving.
NOTE: Toast the sunflower seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned, stirring or shaking the skillet often to prevent burning. Cool completely.
Recipe Source
From cookbook authors Mark Scarbrough and Bruce Weinstein.
Tested by Bonnie S. Benwick.
Email questions to the Food Section at food@washpost.com.
