This recipe is our chance to highlight our beautiful Canadian-grown grain in a different way – cooked whole! We know, milling our grain into fresh flour is kind of our thing… but the grains we mill are beautiful and delicious no matter how they’re prepared. Fresh flour and whole grains have a lot of the same health benefits; both are high in protein, fibre, iron, and especially with einkorn (which we’re using in this recipe), easy to digest.
Cooking wheat berries is very easy, in fact you’ve probably already done it! It’s treated similarly to cooking quinoa, pasta, or any other commonly cooked grain such as farro or barley. You’ll end up with a hearty base for your salad, enough for it to feel like a standalone meal. With the addition of favourite fall veggies like sweet potato and Brussel’s sprouts, as well as an earthy za’atar-based vinaigrette, this salad will soon become a staple in your recipe book!
Recipe
+ 200g einkorn berries
+ 325g (2 cups) large sweet potato
+ 100g (1 cup) Brussel’s sprouts
+ 15g (1 1/2 tbsp) olive oil
+ 1 medium shallot
+ 1 small fennel bulb (small to avoid too much fennel left over)
+ splash of white whine vinegar
+ 30g (1/2 cup) dried currants
+ salt and pepper to taste
+ goat cheese crumbles (optional)
For the dressing:
+ 8g (1 tbsp) lemon juice
+ 58g (4 tbsp) olive oil
+ 25g (2 tbsp) balsamic vinegar
+ 5g (1/2 tbsp) mustard (dijon works best, but yellow is fine)
+ 11g (1 1/2 tbsp) brodflour za’atar seasoning
+ 8g (1 1/2 tbsp) of parsley
Method
- Pre-heat your oven to 400F.
- Measure out your Einkorn berries into a medium sized pot. Add in 2 1/2 cups of water and set it over high to bring to a boil.
- Stir the Einkorn to make sure it is cooking evenly, once a steady boil is established you can reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes with the lid on. Around the 10 minute mark taste a few of the berries, they should be close to al dente in texture. Continue to cook the berries for a few more minutes if you aren’t satisfied with the texture, tasting every so often.
- Once the grain is finished cooking, remove it from the heat and strain them into a sieve. Set them aside for later in a large serving bowl.
- Peel and cube your sweet potato into bite-size pieces. Dress with a tablespoon of olive oil and salt.
- Peel the outer layers of your Brussel’s sprouts and cut off the fibrous ends. Quarter each sprout and toss with the cubed sweet potato, adding more oil if needed.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray. Empty out your sweet potato cubes and Brussels sprouts into a single layer on the tray. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, flipping the vegetables about halfway through cooking and adding an additional 5 minutes.
- While the veggies roast, trim your fennel so you have the stalks and the bulb separated. Slice the bulbs thinly on a mandolin or with a sharp knife.
- Repeat the same process with your medium shallot; remove the outer skin and woody ends and thinly slice.
- Prepare your dressing. Measure out all ingredients into a small bowl. Whisk vigorously to form an emulsion with the oil, fat, and vinegar. Taste the dressing and season to your liking with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Once your veggies are done roasting remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 1o minutes before adding them to the salad.
- Time to assemble! Take your roasted veggies and scatter them over the cooked einkorn. Toss to combine. Repeat this process with your sliced fennel and shallot. Lastly, mix in your dried fruit.
- Once the salad is mixed evenly, top if off with your dressing. Pour an even amount over the salad and toss it all together to coat every delicious bite. Crumble goat cheese on top for extra creaminess.
- This salad is best served fresh, but will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.
