Spelt Salad

Sometimes I have some random whole grains in the pantry I’m tired of looking at, and this time it was spelt I wanted to use up. I really, really love these whole grain salads, because they often do double duty in providing nice, fibrous salad while still being an entire meal. It’s a good two-for-one to me. You can really use any grain for this, so sub in what you’ve got! Also, you could add some grilled chicken or tuna if you wanted some meat in it. To me, this is the kind of space where you throw some random leftovers together and bind them with a grain!

Here’s what you’ll need

1/4 pound spelt
1 teaspoon each: vinegar (any kind, but I like fruit vinegars here), orange blossom water
water

1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 cup diced pickles (any kind; doesn’t have to be cucumber)
1/4 cup shaved onion

juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons za'atar
1/2 teaspoon each: harissa, tomato paste
1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses

Here’s what you’ll do

Combine the orange blossom water, vinegar, wheat and plain water, and simmer until the wheat is soft but still has some bite. This takes about forty minutes. Let it cook completely, then drain. Add second batch of ingredients and stir to combine. Whisk together the third batch of ingredients and fold into the salad. Chill and serve.