WHEAT BERRY SALAD
Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 12:13PM 
I really like free things. I’m the girl who tries multiple flavors at the frozen yogurt place, has a collection of toothpicks in hand at a farmers market and shoves all toiletries in my bag when leaving a hotel. Whoever said 'there is no such thing as a free lunch', has never been to Costco/Sam's Club on the weekend. When POM Wonderful sent me a box of 100% POM juice, I felt all blog efforts had paid off. I’ve seen the nubby bottles in the produce section, but breeze right past, as juice doesn’t tickle my fancy. I will start by saying it makes a refreshing slushy after a short stint in the freezer. This grain salad however, packed with bold flavors, is a perfect way to take advantage of the end of cherry season. Wheat berries are easily found at Whole Foods or a local health food store. They look like plump brown rice, but have a nuttier flavor.
The recipe below makes a great vegetarian side dish, and Hugh mentioned he thought it would be great along side of a burger. I made this for a dinner party at my parent’s house and added some crispy, salty bacon into the final toss. I hate to admit this, seeing as bacon doesn’t have a seat in the Sprouted Kitchen, but it was a layer of flavor that put this salad over the edge. The recipe below does not include the pound of crispy bacon I added in for my parent’s party, but if you partake in eating little piggies, just make sure it’s extra crispy. Eish, can't believe I suggested that.
WHEATBERRY SALAD WITH ARUGULA, CHERRIES AND POM DRESSING // Serves 4
1 Cup Wheat Berries
3 Cups Arugula
2 Cups Bing Cherries, pitted and cut in half
1 tsp Kosher Salt
Zest of one Lemon
POM DRESSING // This will look like a lot of dressing and seasoning, but the wheat berries are very dense and soak up a lot of the liquid from the dressing while in the fridge. Use less if you prefer, but it is what gives the wheat berries any flavor.
1 Shallot, roughly chopped
Big Handful of Fresh Fennel Fronds or Dill, Chopped
3/4 Cup Soft Goat Cheese
1/3 Cup POM, 100% Pomegranate Juice
2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
2 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper 
Rinse the wheat berries in a strainer. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add the wheat berries. Boil for about 45 minutes or until tender and split open a bit, add water if they dry out before cooking. Put them in a large mixing bowl.
While the wheat berries are cooking, make your dressing. In a processor or blender, add the shallot, fennel frond/dill, POM, cumin and pepper. Blend to combine. Add the goat cheese and olive oil and give another whirl.
While the wheat berries are still warm add the dressing and mix. Let it cool for a few minutes. Add the arugula and cherries (and bacon if you please) and mix again. At this point, add the lemon zest and taste for salt and pepper. Don't be shy with the seasoning.
~You can either serve at room temp, or chill in the fridge to let the flavors saturate and serve it as a cold side salad.
Reader Comments (34)
Oh my god, the photography!!! Catch me! I'm swooning!
Love your final plating pictures. Beautiful.
Oh my this looks amazing! This is one thing that I have not ate much of- wheatberries!
"Whoever said ‘there is no such thing as a free lunch’, has never been to Costco/Sam’s Club on the weekend."
I laughed out loud when I read that. When my husband and I were first married and dirt poor, we used to make the trip to Sam's a regular weekend event!
ooohhh!
I've always wondered what to use wheat berries in. Salad...brilliant!
as one who also has a penchant for free things...i {heart} costco
Looks divine, and as always beautiful photographs from Hugh.
I am dying to try this recipe...it looks like such a lovely combination of flavours & textures.
am currently scouring the internet for where to buy wheat berries in Sydney!!
Nicely done, Sara - and I am so with you on the free things. :) When are you and Hugh going to make a cookbook? Seriously. It needs to be a big hardcover, the kind you set on the coffee table and people flip through it when they visit. I would love that.
Beautiful last two shots - love the textures on the plates, too.
w o w, the colors are so beautiful. i need a plate of this salad and i need it now!
ps--i'm all for adding the crunchy bacon.
The best thing about this recipe is that it makes me want to try something new (I've never had wheat berries before). The second best thing is that I have all of the ingredients for this (minus the wheat berries) in my kitchen. I love it when that happens.
This sounds extraordinarily tasty! Loving the addition of goats cheese in the dressing too. The finished dish must be super bright and flavorful with such a variety added in to the dressing.
Your blog is quickly becoming one of my favorites for the beautiful photography. The final shot of the plate with the sun behind it is my favorite!
Okay, you win. I love your writing and your photography! The one with the light shining down on the salad like a blessing from the kitchen Goddess, is......words fail me. I am truly thrilled to find your blog and will be putting it on my blog roll as soon as I press "post."
Holy meow, this looks amazing. Cherries and wheatberries, I am about to raid the pantry for that bag O wheatberries that are twiddling their thumbs in the dark.
man. I really want to like wheatberries, but hardly ever find something that they shine in. I'm going to have to try this, even though I don't like pitting cherries, AT ALL.
stunning photos!! :)
I've been looking for a chance to use wheatberries on a good recipe. This looks great.
Looks yummy! Random question... where did you get those pretty dishes?
I love savory & fruity salads, especially ones with grain. This looks delish.
PS I think there should always be a little room for bacon.
how lovely. this looks divine. thank you so much for posting this. i always am intimidated by wheatberry - don't ask me why. silly i know. the dressing really sounds interesting. can't wait to make this one. stunning images as always. i especially love the setting at the table with the sun beating down.
this dish looks delicious! great recipe idea. i love your photography work also, it's really great!
I love free stuff! If I can get it free...I will take it:) I'm so jealous you got free POM juice. You made a great meal with this free juice. Those wheat berries look awesome. I need to try some!
This looks amazing! I love that bottom left photo!
Talk about a clean design and gorgeous pictures - wowee! Love it! Thanks for stopping by :)
beautiful, beautiful photos! This looks absolutely delicious, I love anything with pom juice in it.
The salad looks excellent and the photos are just sooooo lovely!
These photos should be against the law. They are too beautiful. I can almost taste those chewy wheat berries.
Ugh, the photography...is amazing. Absolutely breathtaking. Oh, and the recipe sounds delicious as well--I really love how in one of the photos all of the salad ingredients are in their own little area of the bowl before being stirred up. Looks wonderful!
I am now in the habit of dropping by every few days just to breathe in some of this beauty
...and hope some of this healthy eating will rub off on me. It's like a little spray of water in my face. I just thought I'd say "thanks" for the refreshment.
I'm completely speechless and a lot starstruck that the person behind my favorite blog came to visit my humble digs. I found out about you a week or so ago thanks to Mae Bird too! thank you for the kindest words, for coming up with such fantastic recipes, and jaw-dropping pictures. I know I'm one amongst many whose days are made a lot brighter thanks to your posts.
Wow, what an interesting mix of ingredients. I bet it would be AMAZING alongside a burger! Your pictures are just gorgeous.
This is really delicious! I used cranberries instead of cherries though. I'll definitely have to try the cherries when they're in season!
Wonderful!
Do you think i could use bookwheat or spelt instead of the wheat berries?
Thanks a lot!