Greek Grain Salad

JanuaryBride's Note:

Recipe found on foodnetwork.com and it is very highly rated. Perfect main course for a vegetarian or side dish for a summer BBQ! The original recipe called for a crazy amount of grains, so it has been revised taking other recommendations.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

Salad

• 1 cup barley
• salt
• 1/2 cup rye berries
• 1/2 cup wheat berries
• 1/2 cup pitted halved kalamata olive
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber
• 1/2 cup diced tomato
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped dill

Dressing

• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced dill
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Make the salad: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the barley and cook for 15 minutes. Using a sieve, remove barley from the water and transfer to a bowl.
2. Bring the water back to a boil and salt, to taste. Add the barley and rye and wheat berries and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Drain, transfer to a bowl, and cool.
3. When cool, combine with the remaining ingredients.
4. Meanwhile, make the Dressing: Whisk together the vinegar, dill, and garlic. While whisking, drizzle in the oil to make a smooth dressing. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve.

Reviews

[magpie diner]

Flavour-wise I think this is great. And while I love the use of mixed grains in a salad, the cooking method didn't work out for me. The barley turned to mush and the grains were under done. I used pearl barley though, maybe that was my mistake, it may cook faster than the other type. I re-did the grains and decided to just use barley the second time round - and that worked out perfectly. This does make a lot - 1 cup of barley goes a long way :). I served with the feta on the side and really enjoyed the dill and onion. I'd definitely make again only I'd probably cook the grains in separate pots. Thanks for sharing JB, the salad was a hit at our BBQ!