One-Pot Wonders

Wheatberry Salad with Radishes, Asparagus, Walnuts, and Spring Onions

by:
June 27, 2014
4.4
5 Ratings
Wheatberry Salad with Radishes, Asparagus, Walnuts, and Spring Onions
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

An easy grain salad that's a perfect mixture of hearty and bright. If you like, you can cook your wheatberries a day or two in advance of preparing the salad. —Gena Hamshaw

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup hard spring wheat berries
  • Sea salt
  • 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 1 1/2-inch pieces, tops and stems separated
  • 5 white or red radishes, sliced very thinly into rounds
  • 1/2 cup walnuts pieces
  • 2 spring onions, white and green parts included, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil (plus more, as needed)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • Black pepper, to taste
Directions
  1. To begin, rinse the wheat berries and place them in a large pot, along with a generous pinch of salt and 3 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer and cover it. Simmer the wheat berries for 35 to 45 minutes, or until they’re tender, but they still retain some chew. Drain them, return them to the pot, and toss them with a drizzle of olive oil to keep them from sticking together.
  2. While the wheat berries cook, toast the walnuts in a large skillet for a few minutes, or until they smell fragrant and nutty. Transfer them to a paper towel or a plate as soon as they’re browning lightly (they’ll keep cooking after they’re removed from the heat).
  3. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the asparagus stems for 2 minutes. Add the tops and allow them to cook with the stems for another minute, or until all pieces are tender but still crispy. Plunge the pieces into cool water, then transfer to a strainer and set them aside.
  4. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, lemon, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Mix the wheat berries with the radishes, the cooked asparagus, the walnuts, and the onions. Add the dressing and combine everything well. Adjust seasonings and serve.
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3 Reviews

madhatrk
madhatrk March 1, 2022
We enjoyed this with our roasted ginger-bronzino and Chinese broccoli tonight. Used farro and subbed white balsamic for the sherry vinegar. Also added a small handful of finely shredded asiago cheese, which filled in what was missing when we tasted it for seasoning. Yum!
 
Emil L.
Emil L. August 5, 2014
I had to use farro because every store I went to did not have wheat berries, the salad was still delicious! Thanks so much for the great recipe.
 
Theresa
Theresa July 7, 2014
Followed the recipe as written and it tasted hearty & bright exactly as described in the header notes. I cooked the wheatberries one day ahead and they held up their chewiness nicely. Thanks, Gena!