Happy Jew Year: Wheat Berry Salad with Walnuts and Apples
9 Sep
Yesterday was the start of Rosh Hoshanah, the Jewish New Year, and I’ll be celebrating tonight with dinner with my extended family at my parents’ place. Traditionally, you eat sweet things on Rosh Hoshanah for a sweet new year. The traditional thing is apples dipped in honey, but I like this wheat berry salad.
It’s a variation of How to Cook Everything’s Rice Salad with Apricots, where nearly every ingredient gets switched out. I found it a little bland and way too sweet, so I tweaked it, adding more lemon juice and cider vinegar, and more apples for crunch. The recipe’s posted at the bottom of the page. Definitely make it a day or two in advance, as the flavors develop and intensify in the fridge overnight.
This is the only thing I’ve ever made with wheat berries, but I like them a lot and am thinking of other ideas. If you’ve got any suggestions, please let me know in the comments!
Apple Walnut Wheat Berry Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
For the vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
1.5 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or more to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the salad:
3 cups wheat berries
1 medium-large apple, cored and chopped
3/4 c. chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 c. raisins (optional)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
Zest of 1 lemon
1. Whisk together or emulsify with a hand blender all of the ingredients for the dressing.
2. Put the wheat berries, apples, raisins, walnuts in a large bowl. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with the spices, zest and salt and pepper. Combine, tossing gently to separate the grains.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning or add more dressing. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate and bring back to room temperature before serving.
