In this colorful salad, Kamut®, an ancient wheat variety, provides superb chew — each bite interspersed with juicy oranges, crunchy walnuts, and pungent blue cheese. Use spelt, wheat berries, or gluten-free sorghum for variations. This salad makes for a satisfying yet light lunch, or serve it next to grilled chicken or steak.
Ingredients
- •195 grams (¾ cup) Kamut® berries, soaked overnight, or about 2 cups cooked
- •1 bay leaf (optional)
- •1 small dried red chile (optional)
- •59 ml (¼ cup) golden raisins
- •1 large orange
- •2 leeks, halved lengthwise, rinsed well, cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) slices
- •118 ml (½ cup) low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- •118 ml (½ cup) dry white wine
- •15 ml (1 tablespoon) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- •5 ml (1 teaspoon) honey
- •2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) fine sea salt
- •1.3 ml (¼ teaspoon) freshly ground black pepper
- •30 ml (2 tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil
- •35 grams (⅓ cup) coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
- •78 to 118 ml (⅓ to ½ cup) crumbled Stilton or other blue cheese
- •45 ml (3 tablespoons) finely chopped parsley, for garnish
Preparation
In a small saucepan combine the Kamut®, bay leaf, chile, and 355 ml (1 ½ cups) water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender but slightly chewy, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, if needed, and transfer to a large serving bowl. Discard bay leaf and chile and allow mixture to cool.
Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Cut off a 5 cm-by-2.5 cm (2-inch–by-1-inch) strip of zest from the orange, removing any white pith, and set aside. Finely grate the remaining skin until you have 5 ml (1 teaspoon) zest and set aside. Peel the fruit, removing any pith, and cut into 1.3 cm (1⁄2-inch) pieces to make about 177 ml (3⁄4 cup); reserve the rest for another use.
In a large skillet combine the leeks, broth, wine, and zest strip, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the leeks are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain, remove the zest strip, and add the leeks to the bowl with the Kamut®. Drain the raisins and add them to the bowl along with the orange pieces.
In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, grated orange zest, honey, salt, and pepper; beat with a fork until smooth. Slowly beat in the olive oil until emulsified.
To finish, pour the dressing over the salad, gently toss, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, gently toss again, and sprinkle with the walnuts and blue cheese. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Reprinted with permission from Simply Ancient Grains by Maria Speck, copyright (c) 2015. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Photography (c) 2015 by Erin Kunkel.