Pesto-Weizen-Salat (pesto wheat berry salad)
A chewy wheat berry salad tossed with fresh basil pesto while the grains are still warm, so the oil-based pesto coats every grain instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Wheat berries keep a distinct bite even fully cooked, which is what gives this salad its texture against the soft pesto and vegetables.
Prep15 min
Cook15 min
Servings4
Christoph's pesto wheat berry salad, the warm grains tossed with pesto so it coats them instead of pooling.
Ingredients
Written for a 2 L pot
Units
Temperature
Servings
Wheat berries
- 250 g wheat berries, soaked overnight if possible rounded
- to taste fine salt, for the cooking water rounded
Pesto and salad
- 50 g fresh basil rounded
- 40 g vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated rounded
- 30 g pine nuts rounded
- 1 garlic clove rounded
- 80 ml olive oil rounded
- 150 g cherry tomatoes, halved rounded
- 100 g mozzarella, torn into pieces (optional) rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Cover the wheat berries with plenty of salted water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 12 to 15 minutes if pre-soaked (up to 40 minutes if not), until tender with a distinct chewy bite. Drain.
- While the wheat is cooking, blend the basil, vegetarian hard cheese, pine nuts and garlic with the olive oil until mostly smooth, leaving some texture. Season with salt.
- Toss the warm, drained wheat berries with the pesto until every grain is coated.
- Fold in the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella, if using. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Toss the pesto through while the wheat is still warm. Warm grains take up the oil-based pesto evenly; once cold, the pesto sits on the surface instead of coating each grain.
- Soak the wheat berries overnight if you can. It roughly halves the cooking time and gives a more even texture throughout.
- Do not overcook the wheat. The chewy bite is the whole point of using wheat berries here rather than a softer grain; cooked past that point it loses what makes it distinct.
- It keeps for 3 days in the fridge, though the pesto’s colour dulls slightly; a squeeze of lemon juice before serving brightens it back up.
Ingredient substitutions
- Wheat berries can be swapped for farro or spelt berries, cooked the same way.
- Pine nuts can be walnuts or omitted for a nut-free version.
- Store-bought pesto works if you’re short on time, though a fresh one has more depth.
From Christoph Mayer