Salmon and wheat berries

I doubt I am alone when I say I used to be flummoxed with what to with wheat berries. And then one weekend I was getting ready to make some and I was out of the grains I usually serve with it. No lentils, no wild rice, but it turns out we had a jar of wheat berries soaking in water in the fridge. (Yeah, we got that far but we didn't know what to do with them next.) So, I looked around the kitchen and gathered up some various CSA veggies and here is what I did.

3/4 to 1 pound salmon fillets
1 c wheat berries
2 carrots, diced
Peppers, green onions, any CSA veggies you think would be good
Olive oil
salt and pepper

Vinaigrette
1/4 c olive oil
1 t grated lemon zest (or orange if you got one from the CSA)
2 T fresh lemon (or orange) juice
2 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
2 T chopped herbs (tarragon is really good with this)
1 t sea salt
Pepper

In a small jar with a tight fitting lid add the vinaigrette ingredients. Shake vigorously and set aside.

As mentioned in other wheat berry recipes, it is best to soak them overnight. Add them to a pot with a quart of water or so and simmer for an hour and a half. You want them to be tender, but still a bit chewy. We like them best when they are all popped open.

I sauted the veggies in olive oil until they were just getting tender and I cooked my salmon (after rubbing it with olive oil, salt and pepper) for about three minutes on a side in a cast iron skillet. I then mixed my veggies into the wheat berries, added the vinaigrette, and tossed. (A note on the vinaigrette: the amount mentioned here in the recipe is going to lot. You'll probably only use half of it for this recipe and then you can use the rest in something else. It is pretty versatile. ) I served my salmon right on top of the wheat berries and veggies combo. The earthy, nutty flavor of the wheat berries, and the sweetness of the veggies, were perfect with the fish.

This Week's Harvest

Butter Lettuce
Spinach
Iitoi Onions
Broccoli
Citrus
Turnips
Dried Chilies
Baby Arugula

So, the word on the street is that CSA folks aren't that keen on the dried chilies and the trade basket can be overflowing with them. So, I ask you, what tasty dishes have have some of you whipped up with dried chilies that you would be willing to share? Karna, our fine coordinator, says she grinds them up and uses them in place of pepper. That would be a great way to give your food some extra kick. Let's roll up our sleeves and get creative with chilies this week!

To get you started, here is a recipe using dried chiles that I am going to make this week from (again) the Tucson CSA's newsletter. They have a ton of great recipes in their newsletters and posted on their website. I highly recommend checking it out! This recipe was contributed by Sara Jones of the Tucson CSA.

Basic Enchilada Sauce

We get the basic Anaheim-type dried chiles at the CSA, which
are a great base for enchilada sauce. If you have them around,
feel free to supplement or substitute other dried chiles for a more
complex flavor.

4-6 dried red chiles, rinsed clean
½ onion, minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar

To re-hydrate chiles, leave them submerged overnight in warm
water. You can also pour boiling water over chiles and leave
them to re-hydrate for about 45 minutes.

Once pliable and moist, remove stem and seeds from each pod
and place in a blender, with about ¾ cup of the soaking liquid.
Blend well.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion
and cumin and stir until fragrant. Pour in chile mixture and
oregano.

Be CAREFUL, the steam the chiles will release is spicy – don’t
lean directly over the skillet!

Cook, stirring continuously, for about 3 minutes. Remove from
heat and add vinegar and a bit of salt to taste.

UPDATED 2/16: So, I made the sauce and I would make some changes if I made it again. First, I would double the amount called for. I made a 9x12 pan of enchiladas and this recipe didn't make enough sauce to make it all nice and saucy. You could remedy this by using more of the soaking water then called for. I didn't think our chiles were that spicy and I didn't bother removing the seeds when I blended them in the food processor. I like things to be easy in the kitchen, but adjust it to your preference because the seeds are where the heat is at. I left out the vinegar and it needs quite a bit of salt for my taste. But, the flavor was great, I would definitely make it again and homemade enchiladas were super yum.

Lemon Cilantro Salad Dressing

I whipped up a quick and tasty salad dressing last night to go with a beautiful salad I brought to a dinner party. I wish I had taken a picture because it was colorful! The salad featured salad greens, spinach and purple cabbage from last week along with some red bell pepper, yellow carrots and avocado. I topped it off with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. I wanted to use some of the fine cilantro we got last week, so I decided to use it in the dressing along with our beautiful lemons. My inspiration for this dressing came from the Tucson CSA's newsletter from last week. The author, Lorraine Glazar of the Tucson CSA, gives substitution ideas depending on what herbs and/or citrus you might have on hand. Click on the link to see what they are. I left out the mustard because I didn't have it in the fridge and I added sun-dried tomatoes because I love them just a little too much. Enjoy!

lemon (juice and zest it)
1/4 c. oil ( I used about 2/3 Queen Creek Extra-Virgin olive oil and 1/3 hemp seed oil)
3-4 T. fine cilantro
1 clove garlic
4 sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil and herbs
splash white wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Blend the ingredients in food processor or blender until the herbs are finely chopped and distributed through the dressing. Adjust seasonings to your liking.

This Week's Harvest

In my humble opinion, this week's harvest is pretty stellar, but I say that every week! There are some Vitamin C super foods in this share, which is perfect for us all in these cold and sniffly days of winter. Spinach, Swiss chard, broccoli, cabbage, and citrus are all Vit. C standouts. A perfect example of how seasonal eating helps our bodies stay strong and healthy!

Spinach
Lettuce Heads (baby romaine, tango and lola rosa)
Swiss Chard
Broccoli
Cabbage (green and purple)
Navel Oranges
Herbs (cilantro, parsley, dill)
Lemons

Wheat Berry Salad with Citrus, Garbanzos, Toasted Pine Nuts, Feta and Spinach

So, another wheat berry recipe. I can't help it, I really like them! And, at last week's pick-up I noticed the trade box was pretty full of these guys, so I'm assuming CSA peeps are a little unsure on how to cook and eat these delicious morsels. I made a delightful salad the other day and I wanted to share it with all you lovely readers.

Anyway, this is a recipe I modified from Heidi Swanson's cookbook Super Natural Cooking. I added chickpeas for some more protein, subbed I'itoi onion for the shallot, added garlic, and added some chopped sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil for some color and taste. I also chopped up half an avocado on top because I love avocado on most food, especially salads. The citrus dressing was okay. Her recipe didn't call for white wine vinegar, but it needed a little kick. She had called for some lemon juice in the dressing, but I didn't have one. This salad would probably be great with any simple vinaigrette you had lying around the house.

1 1/2 c. cooked wheat berries

1 c. cooked garbanzo beans (white beans might be nice too)

Citrus Dressing

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange (maybe use grapefruit for an interesting twist)

couple tablespoons of white wine vinegar

1 I'itoi onion, chopped

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1 clove chopped garlic

salt and pepper

3 handfuls spinach

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

sun dried tomatoes, chopped

avocado, chopped

You need to soak wheat berries overnight and cook them for about 90 min. to get them soft enough to eat. I used dried garbanzos, which also need to soak and cook for about 2 hours. You could use canned if you like. I ate the salad with warm wheat berries and beans, but it would be good cold as well. Mix up the dressing. Then, combine the dressing with the wheat berries, beans and the rest of the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In hindsight, I had leftovers and probably would have put the dressing on individually so it wouldn't get soggy in the fridge. These would feed about 3-4 as a main dish for lunch.

Heidi Swanson's Wheat Berry Breakfast Bowl

We are on a wheat berry roll here with the recipes! I just got this delightful recipe from 101 Cookbooks in my inbox and it sounded heavenly. Wheat berries for breakfast? Hadn't thought about it until this recipe showed me how good they could be--pears, cranberries and pecans mixed with wheat berries and topped with maple sweetened Greek yogurt. Yum. And sounds hearty and warming for our cold Flagstaff mornings. I haven't made this recipe yet, but wanted to share it with y'all. I'll post more once I cook it up sometime this week.

On another note, has anyone made something yummy with their spaghetti squash from a few weeks ago? Not sure how to prepare it and most recipes I have looked up haven't really piqued my interest. Yet, there the squash sits on my counter, mocking me, and my inability to transform it into food.

Happy Cooking!

Winter Wheat Soup

Winter wheat soup, another epicurious recipe, is a great way to use wheat berries and a lot of other veggies we get from CSA. You can spice it up however you like! I often tear up kale and mix it in, toss in a few cloves of garlic, and use veggie or chicken stock. This soup freezes very well and is perfect when you've got a cold.

• 1 cup (210 g) wheat berries or spelt
• 1 large carrot, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut across into thin slices
• 2 medium parsnips, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and then across into 1/4-inch (.5-cm) slices
• 1 medium turnip, peeled and cut into thin wedges
• 2 large leeks, white part only, split in half lengthwise, washed well, and cut across into thin slices
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (1-cm) cubes
• 3 medium ribs celery, peeled and cut across into thin slices
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium stockpot, bring the wheat berries and 13 cups (3.25 liters) water to a boil [for added flavor, replace some or all of the water with Garlic Broth ]. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 50 minutes, or until the wheat berries are almost cooked through, but not mushy.

Stir in the carrot, parsnips, turnip, and leeks. Return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the sweet potato and celery. Simmer for 10 more minutes.

Season with pepper.