We’ve been making grain salads for a couple of summers now, and we’re converts. Yes, grain salads are the new potato salad. And, like potato salads, they are endlessly adaptable. Make grains. Make vegetables. Toss with herbs, nuts or seeds. Dress. Done.
Our first grain salad of this season starts with baby zucchini and snap peas, since these are the first vegetables to start appearing at the farmers markets. We like mint right now, but basil would do nicely. So would parsley.
We’ve recently started buying freekeh, roasted spelt berries, from the Rockland Farm Alliance’s stand at the Nyack Farmers Market. It’s grown by Cayuga Pure Organics, which is featured in Dan Barber’s new book, “The Third Plate.” (In the book, Dan compares whole-farm eating to nose-to-tail eating, saying we need to work grains like freekeh into our everyday cooking. That supports the entire ecology of the farm and helps it to be succesful. But that’s another post.)
Also, we take this recipe easy. We’ll grill the zucchini one night. Make the snap peas the next night. Make the pickles another day. Then pull it all together at the end.
So here’s the recipe. May you make it often, and make it your own.
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