Spelt Wheat Pear And Watercress Salad Food

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH SPELT, PEAR AND WATERCRESS SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to medium heat and brush some oil onto the grates.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the spelt and return to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the berries are tender but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Sprinkle the chicken all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Grill until nicely marked and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, 18 to 20 minutes. Set aside to rest.
• Put the lemon juice in medium bowl. Thinly slice the pears and the fennel lengthwise with a mandoline into the bowl. Toss with the lemon juice. Add the spelt, watercress and oil . Toss to dress evenly. Season with 1/8 teaspoon salt and some pepper.
• Divide the salad and chicken evenly among four plates. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Gruyere or Gouda cheese over each plate. Serve.

WATERCRESS, ROCKET, SWEET PEAR, WALNUT AND PARMESAN SALAD

Steps:

• What a pukka combination, simple and classy. Don't try to make this when you feel like it, make it when you can buy perfect pears, otherwise it will taste naff. For 1 person I normally use around 1/2 a pear, 2 big handfuls of watercress and 2 big handfuls of rocket. If the pear skins are nice I just give them a wash, if not I remove them with a peeler. Then cut them in 1/2 and deseed. It doesn't really matter how you cut them up. Sometimes in big rough chunks, maybe sliced up or even grated. Then place into a bowl with the watercress and rocket. The pepperiness of the leaves works so well with the sweetness of the pear. Drizzle with good extra-virgin olive oil just to coat, a small squeeze of lemon juice (because the pear juice is slightly acidic but very tasty), and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss all this together and serve. Shave over Parmesan or pecornio, crumble your nuts over and tuck in. I love this salad with roasted meat or as a starter on its own.

GRAPEFRUIT AND WATERCRESS SALAD

Steps:

• Peel 1 grapefruit with a paring knife. Cut out the segments and squeeze out the excess juice. Whisk 1 tablespoon of the juice with 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon each dijon mustard and honey; slowly whisk in 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Combine 1 bunch trimmed watercress, 1 chopped endive and the grapefruit segments in a bowl; add the dressing and toss.

CAJUN SPELT

Steps:

• Combine the spelt with 1 1/2 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer until most of the water is absorbed and the grains are tender but still chewy, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Let cool completely (spelt can be made up to a day ahead).
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, scallion whites, celery and Canadian bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the ham is lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and Cajun seasoning and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the spelt, tomatoes, scallion greens and 1/2 teaspoon salt cook, stirring, until the spelt and tomatoes are warmed through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot.

WATERCRESS, PEAR AND GORGONZOLA SALAD

Steps:

• Combine the onion, mustard, vinegar, honey, lemon juice and grapeseed oil in a food processor or blender. Purée until onion is very fine. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil.
• Rinse and dry the watercress. In a large bowl, season watercress with salt and pepper and toss with the dressing. Arrange cheese and fruit on four salad plates and top with watercress.