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Wheat Berry Salad with Corn, Asparagus, Tomatoes and Pesto Vinaigrette

End-of-summer salad utilizing what's still available in the market; fresh ripe tomatoes, sweet corn, and tender asparagus along with cooked wheat berries.
Prep Time2 hours
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: salad, healthy
Servings: 6 cups

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cups uncooked hard red wheat berries
  • 2 ears corn
  • 1/2 lb asparagus
  • 1 cup diced tomato
  • 4 Tbsp pesto vinaigrette
  • kosher salt
  • fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Cook the wheat berries either in a rice cooker (best if it has a brown rice setting which cooks a bit longer) or with the traditional method on the stove top. If cooking in a pot, soak the wheat for 8-12 hours in cold water. Drain, and add to a medium sized pot. Cover with water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour or until tender. Drain and spread out on a sheet pan to cool. If cooking in a rice cooker, when done, spread on a sheet pan to cool.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with water and ice. Blanch the corn in the water for about 5 minutes and shock in the ice water to chill and stop the cooking. In the same pot of water, drop in the asparagus and blanch for 2-4 minutes until tender (depending on the size of the asparagus). Shock the asparagus in the ice water.
  • Cut the corn off the cob. Cut the asparagus into 2" lengths on the diagonal. Dice the tomato.
  • Mix the pesto vinaigrette. The recipe can be found here: pesto vinaigrette
  • In a large bowl, combine the cooked wheat berries with the vegetables and dress with the vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste.