Recipe: Sprouted Wheat Winter Salad

This salad is fresh, super simple, stunningly delicious, and made with 100% local produce.

Last week I paid a visit to one of my all time favorite farm stands for vegetables, Waxwing Farm. I wrote about how much I love the farm in a previous blog post, and now I want to show you what I did with my haul. Immediately when I got home and took a look at my ingredients, a bit of organic hard red wheat from Fairhaven Mills I had on hand came to mind. I love sprouting grains for added nutrients, a shift in flavor and textural profiles, plus it only takes a few days. This salad is a great meal prep idea, it can be made and held for up to a week, and is very customizable. When spring comes around, I will be adding big handfuls of mint and parsley. But even in the dead of winter this salad is bright, crunchy, savory, balanced with illuminating acids and a bit of chili, oh so satisfying on its own or as a side with any protein. A ray of sunshine for anyone eating a predominately local and seasonal diet. And without further adieu, lets get right into this all local, all organic salad.

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Sprouted Wheat Winter Salad Featuring Waxwing Farm and Fairhaven Mills

Yields 4 servings

Sprouted Wheat:

1 32oz jar

1 cup of Fairhaven Mills hard red wheat

3 cups of water

1. Rinse grains before adding to your 32oz/1 quart jar

2. Add water to the top of the jar, leave uncovered on the counter overnight

3. The next day drain the water from your grains, and rinse. Drain again very well. Add grains back to the jar and fit with a sprouting lid or a canning rim and cheese cloth or paper towel. The lid needs to be breathable.

4. The next day, repeat step 3. Make sure you are draining your grains well each time. Sitting water will cause rotting. Rinse and drain up to 2 times daily.

5. The following day, 2 days total, the grains should have little tiny tails coming out, and are ready to use. You may choose to sprout them another day if you wish. If you are not using immediately, refrigerate. Makes 2 cups.

Sprouted Wheat Salad:

2 cups of sprouted wheat

4-5 blushing savoy cabbage leaves

1 medium sized purple daikon radish

1 large carrot

1 leek

Butter or your favorite substitute for pan frying

1 teaspoon Biberi chili flake (optional, use red chili or none at all)

1 lemon

1.5-2oz Organic Seasoned Rice Vinegar

Olive oil

Black Pepper

Crunchy salt, like Maldon or Sel Gris

1. Start by washing and peeling the radish and carrot. Dice them into medium small cubes or chunks, keep separate, set aside.

2. Get the cabbage and cut the base off of the bottom, and peel off 4-5 leaves. Wash well, roll up the leaves, and chiffonade (slice very thin). In a medium to large salad bowl, season the cabbage with a squeeze of lemon, about 2 tablespoons of olive oil or more to taste, and a few large pinches or crunchy salt. Work these ingredients into the leaves by really squeezing and mixing together. Set this mixture aside to macerate while working the rest of the salad.

3. Take out the leek, cut off the green top (save in the freezer for stock) and the rooted end. Slice into disks about 1/8th-1/4 of a inch thick. Place in a bowl of cold water, enough for them to float. Pop the centers out and separate the rings a bit so any hiding dirt can be washed away. Do not pour into a strainer, this will cause the sand and dirt at the bottom to reintegrate with the leeks. Instead, use a slotted spoon or a spider to skim the leeks from the surface of the water after soaking into a colander.

4. Heat a skillet over medium heat, once up to temperature, add about one ounce of olive oil and the leeks. Saute for a few minutes and add one cup of the sprouted wheat (or all if you do not want to eat raw sprouted wheat), and the chili flake, tossing together well. Cook until you see a bit of browning in the leeks and they have softened. Season with salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind the cabbage has been salted. Pour this hot mixture over the macerating cabbage, add the diced carrot and remaining sprouted wheat, toss together. Set aside.

5. In a skillet over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter. Let the butter melt and come to a happy bubble without smoking or burning. Add the diced radish, and saute for about 7 minutes. Until the radishes have browned a bit on the sides but still have some chew to the center. De-glaze the pan with about 2oz oz of the organic seasoned rice vinegar. Saute around and allow the vinegar to reduce for a minute or so. Pour the hot radish mixture into the cabbage, wheat, leek, carrot mixture and toss together. Taste for seasoning, adjust lemon, salt, pepper, or olive oil if necessary. Serve warm.

If you are wondering where you might be able to get bulk local grains, you can find at your local coop in the bulk section or through Clara’s Online Farm Store, opening March 3rd 2022.