Everyone needs a great grain salad in their lives! They are so versatile and ingredients can be chosen from your fridge and pantry to make untold versions. My preferred base is the grassy, nutty freekeh, an ancient grain with tons of flavour and great nutrition as well as plenty of fibre.
FOUNDATION GRAIN SALAD Serves four to six
SALAD
½ cup cracked freekeh
200gm cherry tomatoes
250gm butternut pumpkin
30gm pepitas
250gm broccoli
125gm red cabbage
10gm chives
4gm dill fronds
10gm mint leaves
50gm dried cranberries
100gm feta
DRESSING
1½Tbsp sherry vinegar
1tsp Dijon mustard
4Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2gm salt flakes
pinch cracked black pepper
COOKS NOTES
Use the ideas below and play with flavours to create your own version as an alternative to my recipe above. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully will inspire you to mix and match.
- GRAINS - freekeh, farro, buckwheat, black barley. OTHERS quinoa, risoni (rice shaped pasta), rice
- ROASTED VEG - beetroot wedges, sweet potato, zucchini, eggplant, capsicum, cauliflower florets and stalks
- FRESH VEG/FRUIT - cucumber, celery, baby spinach leaves, finely diced Bravo apples (they won't go brown), chopped cauliflower, avocado, radish, capsicum, chilli, finely shredded bitter leaves such as radicchio, frisee or endive, pomegranate, red onion, pickled sliced onion.
- CHEESE – I used marinated feta in this recipe and used some of the delicious oil in the dressing. grilled or fried Haloumi, Boursin (French herb and garlic cheese), fresh torn pieces Mozzarella, diced smoked cheese, little pieces soft blue cheese, diced Havarti or Gouda.
- DRIED FRUIT - dates, sultanas, apricots, figs, currants
- SEEDS/NUTS - sunflower seeds, black or white sesame seeds, toasted almond slivers, roughly chopped whole raw or toasted almonds, roasted skinned hazelnuts, pecans, toasted or raw walnuts
- FRESH HERBS - parsley, coriander, thyme, oregano, rosemary, tarragon
- SPICE / DRIED HERBS - Ras el Hanout for a Moroccan flavour, smoked paprika for a Spanish flavour, dried oregano for a Greek flavour, toasted cumin and coriander seed roughly ground, caraway seed, dried chilli flakes
- OTHER - olives, antipasto mix, sun-dried tomatoes
- MORE PROTEIN - smoked chicken or beef slices, cooked shredded chicken, BBQ slices of rump steak, leftover roast lamb or pork, BBQ pork belly strips, diced Christmas ham, crispy fried bacon, speck or pancetta, slices of salami, prosciutto or jamon.
METHOD
- Pre-heat oven to 190°C. Prepare chosen vegetables to roast. Toss tomatoes with a few teaspoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast on baking tray for 25 minutes, until starting to collapse and colour. Cut pumpkin into 2cm chunks toss with same amounts of oil and seasoning and roast at same time as tomatoes on baking tray, for around 25 minutes, until tender.
- Toast pepitas until smelling nutty and lightly browned either on the stove in a small pre-heated frying pan, tossing occasionally for just a few minutes or bake in the oven for about 8 minutes. Cool.
- Meanwhile, place a medium saucepan of well salted water over high heat. When boiling add freekeh. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until tender but retaining a pleasant chew. Drain.
- Make dressing. Place all ingredients in twist top jar. Seal with lid. Shake for 20 seconds or so, until emulsified.
- Prepare raw vegetables. Chop broccoli stalks and florets so they still contribute texture, but are small enough to eat easily. Cut red cabbage into medium size wedges and then very finely slice across the grain forming thin strips.
- Prepare herbs. Finely chop chives. Remove dill fronds from stalks and roughly chop. Remove mint leaves from stalks and finely chop - do this close to dressing salad so leaves remain green.
- Toss all components with freekeh, dried cranberries and finely diced or crumbled feta.
- Dress with a few tablespoons’ vinaigrette to coat salad - do not drown it. Taste for seasoning and add a little more salt to your taste.
