10/09/2016
Here we go with the first of my Shiva’s Haminim recipe series.
#1 “Wheat” Berry Salad with a Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette
All dough the focus ingredient for this recipe is the wheat, it has 5 ingredients of the Shiva’s Haminim.
This recipe is great for the holidays as its colors really pop and will create a vibrant touch to your Yom Tov table, s well as this can be made it in advance.
Ingredients For the salad: Yields 8 servings
1 cup wheat berry
4 golden beets (3 roasted, 1 raw)
2 red beets (1 roasted, 1 raw)
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced to 1/8” thickness
1 large purple carrot, peeled and sliced to 1/8” thickness
1 large parsnip, peeled and sliced to 1/8” thickness
1 pomegranate
6 sprigs of thyme
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Ingredients for the Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette:
2 shallots, chopped
4 dried figs, chopped
1/3 cup of balsamic reduction
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup of white vinegar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of honey
¼ cup of water
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
To make the salad:
Reserve 1 golden and 1 red beet for later. Wrap the rest of the beets in aluminum foil and roast in the oven at 350F for 2 hours, until they are tender. Allow to cool, then peel and slice them.
Rinse the wheat berries under cold water and then simmer in a saucepan for 1 hour. Drain and set aside.
In a Sautee pan, over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add the carrots, parsnip and thyme and sauté for a few minutes, until tender, Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Peel the raw golden and red beet that you reserved earlier and cut them into small cubes. Do them separately so the colors don’t get stained. Set aside.
To make the vinaigrette:
First make the balsamic reduction, pour 12 oz. of balsamic vinegar into a pan. Reduce over medium-low heat until it has reduced to about 1/4 of a cup. Don’t let it get too thick though, as it will thicken as it cools down.
In a small pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the shallots and figs. Cook for about 3 minutes over medium heat. Add 1/3 of a cup of the balsamic reduction and cook for 30 seconds. Then pour it into a medium bowl. Add the rest of the vinaigrette ingredients and blend. Taste for salt and pepper.
To assemble the salad, mix the vinaigrette with the wheat berry in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the roasted beets with a bit of olive oil and salt.
Serve the seasoned wheat berries on each plate. Then top with roasted beets, carrots and parsnip. Finally add some of the pomegranate seeds and the raw chopped beets.
I do all of this separate to show the different vibrant colors of the vegetables. Feel free to mix it all if you don’t have the time, but the purple beets will stain the whole salad.
Enjoy
