Ancient Grain Salad
One of my all time favourite salads. It is often on the weekly dinner menu and I regularly rely on it’s robust and filling nature when entertaining friends. It works perfectly well completely on it’s own for lunch and for dinner add in your favourite grilled protein - chicken, lamb, salmon or perhaps some slices of halloumi to keep things vegetarian. I like to serve the creamy cumin laced yoghurt dressing on the side - a little or a lot, let your guests decide.
Ancient Grain Salad
Serves 4 as a main. Original recipe Hellenic Republic
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup puy lentils (I have started using tinned lentils to save the cooking time)
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 pomegranate, deseeded
2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp toasted slivered almonds
2 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp baby capers, rinsed
1/2 cup currants
1 bunch coriander, chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
good lug of olive oil (about 3 tbsp)
sea salt to taste
Dressing
1 cup plain Greek yoghurt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp honey
Method
Start by cooking the quinoa as per the packet instructions (and lentils if you are not using tinned). Drain both well and allow to cool. Meanwhile, in a dry frying pan, toast the nuts and seeds together until golden and set aside to cool.
In a medium salad bowl, place the quinoa, lentils, finely diced red onion, toasted nuts and seeds, pomegranate, capers, currants, coriander and parsley. Dress the salad with a good lug of extra virgin olive oil and the lemon juice to taste. Add a good pinch of salt - taste and adjust (I often don’t add all the lemon so use judgement for what tastes right to you - as with all salad dressings you want it to have some zing but to not be too astringent). Similarly with the salt - I always use Maldon sea salt adding a good pinch to bring a salad alive but add an amount that tastes right to you. It shouldn’t taste salty but the salt will help to bring the flavours out.
Make the yoghurt dressing by combining yoghurt, honey and cumin. Stir to combine and place in a small serving bowl so that guests can help themselves.
Enjoy!
