Three-grain salad - hay day

10 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 cups Water
Coarse salt
1 cup Wheat berries; rinsed well
1 cup Pearl barley; rinsed well, see tip
1 cup Millet; uncooked, see pantry note
2 larges Lemons; zested and juiced
1 Orange; zested
6 Scallions; trimmed, white and light green parts, chopped
½ cup Chopped fresh parsley; preferably Italian flatleaf parsley
⅓ cup Chopped fresh mint leaves
⅓ cup Dried currants
3 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil; may be doubled
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preparation: cook: 1 hr; chill 1 hr.

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the wheat berries. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the barley, and cook for another 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, toast the millet in a large dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring and shaking the skillet until you hear the grains "pop" and see them turn a shade darker, about 5 minutes.

3. After the barley has cooked for 20 minutes, add the millet to the pot with the barley and wheat berries, and cook until all the grains are tender and the water has been completely absorbed, about 10 to 15 minutes. (Drain excess water if any should remain.) 4. Transfer the cooked grains to a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, orange zest, scallions, parsley, mint, and currants to the grains. Toss well.

5. Whisk the lemon juice and oil together in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour over the salad. toss and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. (The original recipe calls for 8 tablespoons of oil to 3 tbs fresh lemon juice or juice of one lemon.) EACH ½ to ⅔- cup (approx): 221 cals, 20% from fat, (5g total fat), 42g carbs, (7g fiber), 6g protein. Analysis estimated by MasterCook.

SERVING IDEAS: *Hollow out ripe tomatoes and fill. *Serve as a bed for grilled shrimp or pork tenderloin.

~- ZESTING TIP: Peel the lemon and orange zest with a hand-held zester; or use a vegetable peeler and then cut the strips of zest into thin slivers.

~- RINSING GRAINS TIP: Unless the package specifically forbids it, all grains (including rice but excluding arborio rice) should be rinsed well before cooking. Grown in fields like any other vegetables, they may contain earth or even tiny pebbles: inspect the grains.

~- PANTRY : MILLET has a delicate flavor. It readily absorbs seasonings and adds texture to soup, salads and pilafs. "The late Bert Greene, our most trusted authority on the subject of grains, taught us the technique of toasting the grain in a dry skillet before cooking it, to bring out the best flavor." To buy, look for millet in speciality and health-food markets. A small, perferectly round bead, millet should be bright gold and have very little aroma. It has a relatively long shelf life, so when you find it, don't hesitate to purchase a little extra; you can store it in an airtight jar in a cool dry place for several months.

~- ABOUT THAT BIRDSEED -- Millet for the birdfeeder is unhulled and unfit for human consumption. Don't even think of using it.

~--The "Hay Day" country market opened it's doors in 1978 as a farm stand in Westport, CT. It grew into a market that offers fruits and vegetables, as well as breads, cheeses, and prepared foods. Today there are more than a dozen Hay Day locations across the East Coast. Kim Rizk is a professional cook and food writer who's been involved in many aspects of the Hay Day business, both in and out of the kitchen. The HAY DAY COUNTRY MARKET COOKBOOK was published (ppr) by Workman Publishing, New York (1998) ISBN 0-7611-0025-3

~--email from kitpath@... 3/99 to ELF, RC, MC NOTES : "We sell tons of this in the summer; if you like the lemon and mint flavors of a good tabbouleh, you'll like this, too. Light and refreshing, it's a great introduction to some of the new and nourishing grains we're all supposed to be eating." -Kim Recipe by: Hay Day Country Market Cookbook, by Kim Rizk Posted to EAT-LF Digest by PatHanneman <kitpath@...> on Mar 01, 1999, converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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