What You'll Need
Salad
1 cup (160 g or 5-1/2 oz) Sangaste Rye Berries
1/3 cup (50 g or 1-3/4 oz) golden raisins
1 tablespoon rye whiskey
8 slices of bacon
1 large sweet potato (about 450 g or 1 lb), cut into 1 in (2.5 cm) cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup (65 g or 2-1/4 oz) walnuts, roughly chopped
5 oz (140 g) blue cheese, crumbled
handful of arugula leaves
Dressing
1/4 cup (60 ml or 2 fl oz) olive oil
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar or white-wine vinegar
pinch of fine sea salt
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
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Place the rye berries in a large saucepan and cover with 4 cups (32 1/2 fl oz or 960 ml ) water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, or until the berries are soft and chewy. Drain and allow to cool.
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You can also cook the rye berries in a pressure cooker. Cover the berries with 4 cups (32 1/2 fl oz or 960 ml) water and set the cooker to high pressure for 30 minutes. Manually release the pressure, drain and set aside to cool.
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Meanwhile, combine the raisins, whiskey and 1 tablespoon boiling water in a small bowl and set aside to soak.
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Line two baking sheets with parchment (baking) paper. Place the bacon slices on one sheet. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potato with the olive oil and cayenne, then spread evenly over the second sheet, making sure none of the potato pieces are overlapping. Place both baking sheets in the oven and roast for 30–40 minutes until the bacon is crispy and the sweet potato is soft and starting to brown. Keep an eye on the bacon as it may take less time than the sweet potato. Remove from the oven.
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When the bacon is cool enough, crumble it into small pieces.
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To make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients.
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Combine the rye berries, sweet potato, bacon, raisins (and soaking liquid), walnuts, cheese and arugula in a large bowl. Toss through the dressing and serve.
Serves 8-10 as a side
This recipe has been reprinted with permission from The Miller's Daughter by Emma Zimmerman (Hardie Grant North America). Photo credit: David Alvarado
