Photo: Matt Taylor-Gross • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen
Rhubarb has a pleasant sharpness on its own, but the acidity and tang can vary dramatically from stalk to stalk. Pickling in vinegar might seem aggressive for an already tart vegetable, but the result is quite balanced, and makes for a vibrant addition (in both flavor and hue) to this hearty spelt grain bowl. Inspired by edible garden perennials, which grow year after year with little maintenance, the salad also features asparagus—briefly blanched to capture its sweetness—and chives, which are the first plants to poke up in my raised beds each spring.
The salad is best served as soon as it’s assembled, but you can make it last a little longer by leaving out the lettuce, which is quick to wilt, until you’re ready to serve. Without the lettuce, the dressed spelt berry mixture can keep quite well in the fridge for a few days, and makes for a satisfying lunchtime meal prep. Just allow it to sit out for a few minutes to take the chill off before adding fresh lettuce and serving. Ricotta salata strikes the ideal balance of salty and milky here, but another salty semi-firm cheese like Pecorino Romano or feta could work in a pinch.
Featured in: “For a Low-Effort, High-Reward Garden, Plant These Perennial Vegetables.”
Yield: 6 Time: 40 minutes ½ cup white wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. honey 1 tsp. kosher salt,
