Spelt with blackberries, beets, walnuts and buttermilk dressing Recipe

Spelt with blackberries, beets, walnuts and buttermilk dressing Recipe

  • 150g/5½oz pearled spelt
  • 2½ tbsp olive oil
  • ½ lemon, juice only
  • 1 tsp white balsamic vinegar
  • ½ red onion, very thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 35g/1¼oz walnut pieces
  • 2 cooked beetroots, cut into matchsticks
  • 150g/5½oz blackberries
  • 1 tbsp chopped dill fronds
  • 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 200ml/7fl oz buttermilk
  • smidgen of Dijon mustard
  • pinch of caster sugar
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  1. Cook the spelt in boiling water until tender (this should take 20–25 minutes, but check the packet instructions). Drain and run cold water through it. Shake off the excess water and put into a serving bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat the remaining olive oil and cook the onion until it has just lost its rawness, then add the spices and cook for another 2 minutes. Add this to the spelt. Toast the walnut pieces in the same pan for a minute or so, until they smell aromatic. Tip them into the bowl along with all the remaining ingredients and gently toss together.
  3. For the dressing, mix all of the ingredients together. Check for seasoning.
  4. Drizzle the spelt with some of the buttermilk dressing and serve the rest in a jug alongside.