Cilantro and Celery Wheat Berry Salad

Wheat berries make a hearty base for a chopped salad. Here they are paired with celery, lentils and a chimichurri sauce. Our CSA celery is fibrous, but you can easily peel the long strings from along the back of each stalk if you want. If you don’t have cilantro to make your own sauce, you can buy a store bought one or use a vinegar or citrus based dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 share wheat berries
• 5 stalks celery, peeled, if desired and sliced
• 1-2 cups lentils or small beans, cooked
• About half a cup chimichurri sauce
• Lemon juice

Place wheat berries in a large bowl, cover with water and swish around. Any husks or other impurities should rise to the top to be easily skimmed off. Drain water and place wheat in a medium saucepan, cover with about 5 cups water. Bring to a boil them lower heat to a simmer and cook until wheat berries are cooked through, about 1 hour (they will retain an al dente chewy bite). Drain and let cool. While wheat berries are cooking, prepare chimichurri sauce and slice the celery. Drizzle sliced celery with lemon and toss with a pinch of salt. Once all the components are ready toss together and taste for seasoning. Add more salt or lemon juice if needed. The salad will be better after a couple of hours in the fridge.

Submitted by Sara Jones, Tucson CSA