I know what you are thinking: “Wheat berry salad? She’s fallen off the deep end into another health food kick.” Before you write me off as a total nut let me explain. It all started with a trip to Whole Foods where I got a little crazy in the bulk bin aisle (actually I just get a little crazy whenever I’m in a Whole Foods). Feeling tired of heavy winter fare and ready to broaden my grain horizons I spotted a bin of wheat berries and decided to bring some home… along with Israeli couscous, three colors of lentils, bulgur wheat, and barley. But those grains will have to wait for another day!

Having no clue what to do with wheat berries, or even what they tasted like I browsed the Internet for help. I learned that wheat berries are the entire wheat kernel (minus the hull) and that they are an excellent source of fiber, protein, and iron. Tips from 101 Cookbooks and The Amateur Gourmet provided me with a basic understanding of the grain, and from there I decided to play around. Mixing a little bit of this and a little bit of that a salad quickly began to take shape. The cooked wheat berries provided a soft yet chewy base with the fragrance of warm bread and a delightfully nutty flavor. Feta cheese added a creamy tang while Kalamata olives gave the dish a briny note that made my mouth water. By the time I was finished tossing in ingredients a marvelous Greek wheat berry salad was born.

This recipe has gotten under my skin. I feel good making it, I feel good eating it, and I feel good afterwards. In a kitchen that sees very little repetition, I have made this salad three times in the last month- it is that addictive! This would be delightful for a potluck, or to just have in the fridge when it is too hot to cook and all you want is a hearty salad. For presentation purposes the salad looks more appealing if you sprinkle the feta and tomatoes on top after everything else is mixed. You can even stretch it out a bit by serving it on top of fresh spinach. However when it is just the two of us I mix everything together in a big bowl and enjoy every bite!

Greek Wheat Berry Salad (Printable Recipe)
Serves 4-6 as a Main Course, 10-12 as a Side Salad

Ingredients:

Salad
2 cups wheat berries
6 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped + brine from jar (used below)
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 roasted red bell peppers, chopped into bite size pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup basil leaves, julienned
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Dressing
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar (if you like a lot of tang add a bit more)
2-3 Tablespoons “brine” from Kalamata olive jar (can be increased to taste)
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
Juice of the zested lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Rinse wheat berries under cool water and then drain. Place wheat berries, six cups of water, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt into a medium pot. Place the pot over high heat, and bring the water to a boil. Stir, reduce heat to maintain a low simmer, and cover the pot with a lid. Cook the wheat berries, stirring occasionally, for 60-90 minutes or until they are tender (but not mushy). Once the wheat berries are cooked, drain off any remaining water, and transfer the wheat berries to a large (8-10 cup capacity) bowl.

While the wheat berries are cooking, place a small saucepan over low heat and add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, red onion, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Slowly cook the onion, stirring occasionally until it is softened and a light brown color. This will take about 40-60 minutes. Once the onion is caramelized, remove the saucepan from the heat and set the onions aside to cool.

Add the lemon zest, Kalamata olives, garlic, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, basil leaves, feta, and pine nuts into the large bowl with the wheat berries. Gently mix the ingredients together with a spoon to combine.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, “brine” from the Kalamata olive jar, yogurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Once the dressing is well mixed, pour it over the salad and stir until all ingredients are well coated. Taste the salad and add more salt and pepper if necessary. (Much like rice, the wheat berries will require a decent amount of salt for the flavor to shine through.) Serve the salad as is or plate on top of fresh spinach and garnish with additional feta cheese, tomatoes, and basil.

Salad can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored covered in the fridge. Bring to room temperature and mix well before serving.

With summer now in full swing, I’ve found my urge to spend hours puttering around the kitchen has been replaced with a desire to frolic in the warm air and soak up as much sunshine as possible. I’m sure I am not alone in these sentiments, so today’s recipe is going to be short and sweet.

I have attempted to make sweet potato fries once before but was disappointed with mushy limp fries that couldn’t stand up to a bowl of ketchup. This time around I hunted through the Chowhound forums until I discovered the secret to crispy oven baked fries: convection. That’s right, if you have a convection oven then crispy sweet potato fries can be yours without the greasy mess of deep fat frying.

Quick release foil makes clean up VERY easy!

Dusting the fries with five spice seasoning created an exotic note which complimented our Asian-style barbecued ribs beautifully. The risks of being a food blogger became apparent when I set the bowl of fries down on the table and then stepped into another room to snap a few pictures of the Swiss Chard and Fennel Gratin. When I returned a short five minutes later, only a few lonely fries were left at the bottom of the bowl! As Mr. B is fond of saying, with fries this good, “you’d better get in there!”

Postscript: I followed this method with regular potatoes and it worked like a charm! Perfect crispy oven baked potato fries. Convection is definitely the answer!

Five Spice Sweet Potato Fries (Printable Recipe)
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into long wedges
Spray Oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Five Spice Powder

Reynolds Quick Release Foil

Directions:

Pre-heat a convection oven to 425 degrees (normal heat – not convection at this point) with a rack in the middle.

Line two rimmed cookie sheets with foil. Spread the sweet potatoes on the cookie sheets in one layer. Lightly spray oil over the sweet potatoes and toss gently with your hands to coat all sides. Sprinkle a light coating of salt, pepper, garlic powder and five spice powder evenly across the sweet potatoes. Again gently toss the potatoes with your hands to coat all sides.

Place cookie sheets side-by-side in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Using a spatula, gently loosen the wedges from the foil and flip them over. Return pans to oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Next, turn the oven to “convection” and bake for a final 5-10 minutes watching the fries closely, until they turn golden and crispy. Remove pans from oven, transfer the fries to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

I’m submitting this bread to Yeastspotting. If you want to see the most beautiful loaves on the web go visit Susan at Wild Yeast for inspiration!

Strawberry Butter (Printable Recipe)
Recipe Adapted from Gourmet via The Kitchen Sink
Makes Approximately 2 cups of Butter

Ingredients:
1 pint strawberries, hulled
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
pinch salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (I used Plugra European style butter)

Directions:
Place the strawberries in a food processor or blender, and purée until smooth. Place a fine mesh sieve over a small saucepan, and using the back of a spatula, press batches of the purée through the sieve into the pan. Once all of the purée is in the pan, add in the honey and lemon juice. Place pan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir constantly for 3 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of a warm custard. Let the mixture cool to room temperature and add in a pinch of salt, to taste.

Using the bowl of a stand mixture, combine softened butter and cooled purée mixture. Beat mixture with the paddle attachment on a low speed until the butter begins to incorporate into the strawberry mix. At this point turn up the speed and vigorously beat the mixture until it is well combined, and appears smooth and creamy. This will take about 3-5 minutes. Once the mixture is creamy, transfer it to a small airtight container and let it stand, covered, for an hour at room temperature. (This will help bring the flavors together.) Store container in the fridge, allowing the butter to warm up slightly before spreading.

Making Bread Crumbs

Making the Gratin

The gratin came together easily- a savory combination of fresh swiss chard, sautéed fennel, and spring onions. Wrapped together in a warm cream sauce, and topped with freshly toasted bread crumbs along with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese this gratin was better than any creamed spinach that has crossed my lips. As we were clearing the table after dinner, I spied my father-in-law eating the remaining gratin straight out of the dish with the serving spoon. I felt a brief twinge of jealousy until I remembered the rows of chard still standing in the garden. While we don’t eat many things repeatedly at our house, this is one recipe that I will be making again and again!

One of my favorite blogs about crazy country living is Going Country. Updated daily by the often quirky and always hilarious Kristin, it has introduced me to wonders such as sheep on the beach and pillows that freeze to the wall. Last January Kristin challenged her readers to help her name a new cocktail which incorporated mulberry juice, vodka, and seltzer. Since the mulberry tree from which said juice was extracted is located on a steep slope, and since attempting to gather the mulberries while hundreds of fallen berries created a mushy mess on the ground results in sliding down the slope, this cocktail was aptly christened the “Slippery Slope“.

Now before moving to the Midwest my only reference point for a mulberry, was the children’s song about here-we-go-round-the-mulberry-bush. I envisioned something similar to a blueberry bush with small berries. Little did I know that these “bushes” are actually 30′ high trees with berries that will turn you a permanent shade of purple if you just look at them. (Which makes the second verse of the childrens song “this is the way we wash our clothes” all too appropriate!) In fact I think birds take great pleasure in eating mulberries and then leaving bird “graffiti” on any patch of clean deck or driveway, which no amount of scrubbing will remove. This year I decided that the birds shouldn’t be the only ones having fun and set out to find a mulberry tree for myself.

In the woods behind our house Mr. B and I found three mulberry trees surrounded by brush and laden with ripe black fruit. We got busy and started to pick the berries, careful not to slip on the squishy goo below our feet. I popped a few berries into my mouth and discovered that they are quite juicy, with a sweet almost herbal flavor. They are also full of seeds. *Spit*. Once we had picked a bag full of berries we emerged from the brush and I glanced down at myself. I was covered with purple stains that ran from my lips to my fingers to the bottoms of my feet. What a mess!

Back at home we rinsed the berries, and then gently simmered them with a little sugar to extract the juice. After carefully straining out all seeds and stems (thank heavens for a black sink) I poured the juice into jars while Mr. B located the vodka. Mixed together with a bit of seltzer and orange liqueur this drink achieved summer perfection. It was refreshing, fruity, and fizzy. The double entendre of the Slippery Slope finally became clear when I found myself staring at the bottom of my glass and wishing for another!

Slippery Slope (Printable Recipe)
Adapted from Going Country
Serves 1

Ingredients:
Ice cubes
1 1/2 ounces of Vodka
1/2 ounce Orange liqueur (such as Patron Citronge or Cointreau)
1 1/2 ounces of Mulberry Juice*
Seltzer (Club Soda)

Slice of Lemon for Garnish

*Recipe Below

Directions:
Fill a high ball or double old fashioned cocktail glass 2/3rds to the top with ice cubes. Pour in vodka, orange liqueur, and mulberry juice. Stir to combine. Top off with seltzer. Stir again, and garnish with lemon slice.

Mulberry Juice
Makes approximately 2 1/2 cups of juice

Ingredients:
5 cups fresh mulberries
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions:
In a medium sized heavy pot, combine mulberries and sugar. Place over medium-low heat and cook at a gentle simmer until the liquid has reached the top of the berries, about 20 minutes. Sir occasionally, pressing down on the berries to help extract liquid. Once liquid has reached the top of the berries, remove the pot from heat and cover. Let steep and cool for 30 minutes.

Place a fine meshed strainer over a medium bowl and (working in batches if necessary) strain berries and liquid into the bowl. Press down repeatedly on the berries with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard crushed berries and seeds. Pour strained liquid into clean jars, and seal with lids. Juice will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Note: Kristin cans her mulberry juice (see her comment below) but I have yet to overcome my fear of the water bath. This recipe is NOT a canning recipe.