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Ingredients
Pesto Vinaigrette
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground
black pepper
Salad
1 cup white beans
from can, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked wheatberries (see
below for cooking instructions)
1 lb. asparagus, cut
into diagonal 1 1/2-inch lengths
1 cup grape tomatoes,
cut in half lengthwise
1/3 cup kalamata olives,
cut in half lengthwise
1 cup bite-size
mozzarella cheese balls, cut in half
3 hard-boiled eggs,
sliced
Directions
Pesto Vinaigrette
Combine basil, garlic,
pine nuts and olive oil in a food processor. Pulse
until coarsely pureed. Transfer to a bowl, then
whisk in vinegar, salt and pepper.
Salad
Wheatberries
Bring 3 cups of salted
water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Place 1 cup of
dry wheatberries in saucepan and reduce heat to low.
Cook, uncovered, for about 1 hour or until
wheatberries are tender to the bite (wheatberries
may partially open when cooked). Remove wheatberries
with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl to cool.
(Note: This will produce about 1 1/2 cups of cooked
wheatberries, but it is better to have too many than
too few. You can always add the additional 1/2 cup
of wheatberries to the salad if you wish.)
Asparagus
In a medium saucepan,
bring about 3 inches of water to a boil. Add
asparagus spears (with thick ends snapped off - see
recipe description above) to water, and cook for 5-6
minutes, just until spears are crispy tender to the
bite (cut off a small portion off the thick end of
one of the spears to do a bite test). Immediately
scoop up spears with a slotted spoon and place into
a bowl filled with just enough ice water to cover
all spears (to prevent spears from cooking any
further).
While spears are
cooling, place beans, cooled wheat
berries, tomatoes, olives, cheese balls
and egg slices in a large bowl. Remove asparagus
spears from ice water and place on a few paper
towels on a plate to drain. Blot the spears until
dry, slice into 1 1/2 diagonal pieces, then add to
other ingredients in bowl. Gently toss all
ingredients to
combine. Pour Pesto Vinaigrette dressing over
ingredients to taste and gently toss. (Note: Try using only 1/2
to 2/3 of the
dressing first; taste, then add a little more as
necessary to suit personal taste). |
