Spelt Wheat Pear And Watercress Salad Recipes

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.

BACON-WATERCRESS SALAD

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• Meanwhile, segment the oranges: Cut the ends off, then cut away the peel and white pith. Working over a bowl, cut along both sides of each membrane with a paring knife to remove the segments, allowing them to drop into the bowl. Discard any seeds.
• Put the garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, then mash into a paste with the flat side of a large knife. Whisk the vinegar and garlic paste in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper, then whisk in the olive oil. Add the watercress, parsley and escarole and toss to coat. Divide the salad among plates and crumble the bacon on top. Sprinkle with the oranges, hazelnuts, dates and blue cheese. Serve with cornbread, if desired.

SPINACH, PEAR AND CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Slice the chicken breast in half horizontally to make 2 thin cutlets; season with salt and pepper. Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until lightly golden and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate to cool, then thinly slice.
• Meanwhile, combine the cranberries, vinegar and 1 tablespoon water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 45 seconds to plump the cranberries. Let cool.
• Whisk the cranberry-vinegar mixture, lemon juice, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a slow stream until blended. Add the chicken, spinach, endives, almonds, pear, about half of the cheese, and salt and pepper to taste; toss to combine. Divide among bowls and top with the remaining cheese.

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.

CITRUS AND WATERCRESS SALAD

Steps:

• Wash the greens well and discard any tough stems. Tear into bite size pieces.
• Working over a bowl to catch the juices, peel the grapefruits and oranges and cut between the membranes to remove the sections. Remove the seeds. Place the grapefruit and orange supremes in another bowl, reserving the juice. Add onion to bowl with supremes and mix.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the chipotle chiles, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of reserved grapefruit/orange juice.
• To serve, pour dressing over fruit, add greens and toss lightly. Arrange on a platter or among 4 salad plates and garnish with avocado slices.

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 WALNUT SALAD WITH POPPY SEED DRESSING

Steps:

• Whisk vinegar, mustard and honey in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil. Mix in poppy seeds. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
• Toss watercress and walnuts in large bowl with enough dressing to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide salad among 8 plates. Toss pears with 1/4 cup dressing in small bowl. Spoon pears atop salads.

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.

PEAR, ENDIVE AND WATERCRESS SALAD

Steps:

• Slice goat cheese into 6 equal portions; form each into ball. Flatten cheese balls into 2-inch-diameter rounds. Place breadcrumbs in shallow dish. Coat cheese rounds completely with breadcrumbs. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.
• Mix vinegar, garlic clove, shallot and Dijon mustard in blender. With machine running, gradually add walnut oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Set dressing aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cheese rounds to skillet and sauté until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer cheese rounds to paper towels; let drain completely.
• Toss pears, endive and watercress in large bowl with enough dressing to coat. Divide salad among 6 plates. Sprinkle walnuts over salads. Place 1 goat cheese round in center of each salad and serve.

ASIAN PEAR AND WATERCRESS SALAD WITH SESAME DRESSING

Steps:

• Make dressing:
• Blend all dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth.
• Prepare salad:
• Peel pear and cut into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick julienne, then transfer to a bowl.
• Combine watercress and pear in a bowl, then season with salt and pepper and toss gently. Divide among plates, then drizzle with some dressing and sprinkle with carrot.