Wheat Berry Salad from Diamond T Organics

By Patty Payton, Boise Co-op Demo Manager

Steve and Teresa Taylor of Diamond T Organics first received certification from the State in 2007 on their 24 acre farm, located on the Salmon Tract about 20 miles South of Twin Falls, Idaho. Fresh water rolls down from the mountains to the South and delivers right up to the farm, which is blessed with deep fertile soil and no rocks. Not only has the farm has not used chemicals since the mid 80's, they also focus their strength in crop rotation*.

Diamond T Organics is dedicated to producing high quality crops, and has been in the same family since it was homesteaded. They supply some of the best tasting wheatberries available, which are great for cooking, as in the recipe below, and are also absolutely perfect sprouted! You can also enjoy their goodness in a liquid form, full of enzymes and raw energy, via the sweet 1-ounce wheatgrass servings sold in our freezer and supplied by Dave Pennington.

1 cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
1 cup Dried Cranberries
9 cups Cooked Diamond T Organics Wheat Berries
7 Granny Smith Apples, unpeeled, diced
1-1/2 cups Pecan Halves, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon Raspberry Vinegar
1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3/4 teaspoon Salt
3/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Tablespoon Freshly Ground Orange Zest

Combine orange juice and cranberries in a bowl. Let stand 15 minutes.

Combine wheat berries, apple and pecans in a large bowl; stir gently. Drain cranberries, reserve the juice. Stir the cranberries into the wheat berry mixture.

Whisk the reserved orange juice, vinegar and oil in a small bowl until combined. Season with salt & pepper. Pour over the salad and stir gently to coat. Refrigerate to combine flavors.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

(To prepare wheat berries: Combine 1 part wheat berries to 2 parts water, bring to a boil then simmer for 1 hour.)

Dinner Under $10: Polenta Bake!

It's easy! It's delicious! It is dinner under $10!

Serves 4
1 package Organic Ready-Made Polenta ($3.79)
1 cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese (about $0.75)
15-oz Can Organic Tomato Sauce ($2.29)
2 cups Spinach (about $1.20)
1 Zucchini (about $0.50)
1 cup Shiitake Mushrooms (about $0.75)
1 Yellow Onion (about $0.55)

Grand total: $9.83

Chop the onion, zucchini and shiitake mushrooms. Saute the onion until slightly caramelized, add the zucchini and shiitakes and continue cooking over medium heat for an additional 7 minutes. Add the spinach and can of tomato sauce. Season to taste.

Cut polenta into 1/2-inch slices. Layer the polenta in large baking or casserole dish. Pour the sauce over the polenta. Top with cheese. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes.

Bon appétit!

Cook's Note:
Polenta can be homemade ahead of time, then cut up and baked in the same way or even pan fried until crisp. I like the versatility of the ready-made polenta. You may top this dish with any sauce and bake in the oven in the same way. I also like to serve it as a small appetizer by creating individual portions using small baking dishes. It is always a hit and looks fantastic served this way. You may also complement this dish with a side salad and some toasted bread.

Goat Cheese Mousse Verrine

"Verrine de Mousse au Chèvre"

3 Pears
1 tsp Butter
2 tsp Sugar
1 (17 oz) container plain Greek-style Yogurt
1 (5.3 oz) package Fresh Soft Goat Cheese (I used Chevre)
2 cups Aged Goat Cheese (I used Cypress Grove’s Midnight Moon)
1 Bag (or 0.33 lb bulk ) Salad Mesclun Mix
8 Cherry Tomatoes
2 cups Chives (slice them with scissors— it’s easier)
1 cup Chopped Arugula
3 cups Parmesan, grated (to make 12 tuiles)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper

A sheet of Parchment Paper to line a baking sheet
   
In a saucepan, cook the cubed pears with the butter and sugar on the stove top until they have softened and slightly caramelized.

Prepare the Parmesan Tuiles:
Grate the Parmesan. With a spoon, create small mounts of cheese on the parchment paper you prepared ahead of time. Cook in the oven under the broiler (leave some distance between the baking sheet and broiler to avoid burning). Once the Parmesan has grilled to a golden color, remove from the oven and place each tuile on a rolling pin, to give them a curved shape. This step has to be done while the tuiles are still soft, otherwise they will break. Set aside to cool.

Season the salad mix with a simple vinaigrette made of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Mix together the fresh goat cheese and the yogurt. Add the aged goat cheese and salt, pepper and sliced chives to taste.

To dress the verrines, layer starting with the pear compote, the chopped arugula, the goat cheese and yogurt mixture. Top with the salad mix, and the cherry tomato cut in half. Place the tuiles on top. Serve with you favorite toasted bread. You may also serve tapenade, or simply olives on the side.

Roasted Garlic Mashers

Note from Sylvie:
Roasting the garlic will bring these mashers to a new level of flavor. The caramelized garlic adds an intense sweetness to the potatoes, and the roasting makes them much easier to digest. This recipe can accompany many meats, such as a stuffed beef tenderloin, pork roast, roasted chicken or even barbecued salmon.

4 lb. Large Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
Pinch of salt
1 ½ c. Milk
2 tsp Unsalted Butter
1/3 c. Roasted Garlic
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper

To Prepare the Roasted Garlic:
You may use regular garlic, but I like to use elephant garlic. You can buy terra cota dishes that are designed to roast garlic or you can simply peel off the outer layer of the garlic skin and wrap the whole garlic bulb in aluminum foil. Place in the oven at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. An amazing aroma will invade your house!

To Prepare the Mashers:
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Shortly before the potatoes are done, place milk in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer over moderate heat, and set aside. Drain potatoes well. Add hot milk, butter, roasted garlic, salt and pepper, and mash with a potato masher or electric mixer just until smooth (I prefer to use a traditional vegetable mill, it makes the potatoes much lighter and fluffy).

Caribbean Turkey Soup

Serves 4-6

8 cups Broth (vegetables or chicken)
3 cups Chopped Leftover Turkey
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 cup Orange Juice
2 Large Sweet Potatos, peeled and diced
1 Yam, peeled and diced
1 Medium Yellow Onion, minced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 tsp Madeira or Marsala
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
½ tsp Dried Thyme
¼ tsp fresh Ground Ginger
¼ tsp Ground Allspice
¼ tsp Nutmeg
¼ tsp Chili Flakes
Salt and Pepper

To Garnish:
Fresh-Squeezed Lime
Fresh Chopped Cilantro

Heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onions and sauté until they start to caramelize. Add the sweet potatoes, yam, bell pepper, garlic and turkey. Add the seasoning and spices. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the Madeira, vinegar and broth. Bring to a boil, then turn to very low heat and cook for 45 minutes. Adjust the seasoning. Serve with the fresh lime and cilantro.