Give the kale and arugula a well-earned break already with this light-but-hearty three-grain summer salad teeming with scrumptious, next-level superfoods. Created by Michael Paley, executive chef of Metropole in Cincinnati, this chilled dish can be both a quick midweek meal and a guilt-free side at your Sunday grill-a-thon. Here’s the 25-minute recipe.
1 medium red onion
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons high quality extra virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded baby bok choy
2 cups bulgur wheat, cooked
2 cups quinoa, cooked
2 cups farro (or wheat berries), cooked
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
½ cup pickled carrot, brunoised
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Heat an oven to 425藲F. Place the whole onion, skin on, on of a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over the onion to slightly coat, then season with salt and pepper. Pull up the corners of the foil and wrap the onion into a bundle. Cook for 20 minutes or until fully tender and cooked through, then refrigerate to cool.
While the onion cooks, sauté the bok choy in ½ cup of olive oil until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate to cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine all three grains with the tomatoes, bok choy, parsley, pickled carrot and feta. Toss and season with the red wine vinegar, remaining extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
To plate, cut the ends of the onion, peel off outer layers and quarter the onion lengthwise. Pull whole tulips off the onion and arrange a nest in each bowl for the salad to sit in. Divide the salad evenly among all four bowls and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Wine Recommendation
“I love the Ramsay Pinot Noir 2009 from Central Coast to pair with the three-grain salad,” says Metropole’s Beverage Manager Meghan Kelly. “There’s a great level of dark cherry and earth in this wine that’s brightened by the tomatoes in the dish.”