Vegetarian mains
Broccoli, tomato and wild garlic wheatberries
If you've not tried wheatberries (wholegrain wheat kernels) before then I hope you like them and want to use them again. They add a really good texture to vegetarian dishes, and can be used in stew style dishes or cooked, cooled and used in salads.
Cook's notes
The heady smell of the green shoots is a great marker of spring, we enjoy it while it lasts. Its also great in soups, stews, risotto or pasta, or make a pesto from our website recipe. It's a little less pungent when cooked, so you could add a little more to this recipe if you like.
Ingredients
- 125g wheatberries (whole wheat grain)
- 250g cherry tomatoes
- oil for roasting and frying e.g. sunflower or light olive
- 1 head broccoli
- 1 leek
- 50g butter
- 500g potatoes
- 200ml milk
- 1 tbsp wholewheat flour
- 100g wild garlic
- 75g Cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Put your oven on to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Put the wheatberries in a saucepan and cover with plenty of water. Bring the pan up to the boil and cook for about 45-50 minutes or so, until just tender (NB they still have a good chewy bite when ready). Keep an eye on the pan as they cook and top up with more water if needed.
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Step 2
As soon as the wheatberries go on the hob, cut the cherry tomatoes in half crossways. Lay them cut side up on a non-stick baking tray. Sprinkle over some oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes or so, depending on size, until softened and starting to caramelise.
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Step 3
Meanwhile, prepare the veg. Wash the broccoli and cut into florets. Halve the leek lengthways. Finely shred each half. Wash well to remove any grit. Wash half the bag of wild garlic leaves (if you like a stonger flavour, you could use a little more). Finely shred the leaves.
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Step 4
Heat half the butter and a splash of oil in a saucepan or deep frying pan. Add the leek. Fry on a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring now and then to stop them catching (add a splash of water if it looks like it might).
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Step 5
Meanwhile, wash and peel the potatoes. Roughly chop into 2cm dice. Put in a pan and cover with water. Add a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Cook for 10-12 minutes or so, until tender. Drain the potatoes once cooked, leave in the colander for 2 minutes, then mash with the remaining butter, a splash of milk and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep to one side.
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Step 6
After the leeks have cooked for 10 minutes, add the flour. Stir for 2 minutes then gradually add the milk and the cheese. Stir until the mixture starts to thicken. Stir in the wild garlic and mustard and season to taste. Remove from the heat and keep to one side.
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Step 7
Once the wheatberries are just tender but still chewy, add the broccoli florets. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the broccoli is just tender. Drain the wheatberries and broccoli and add them to the cheesy leek mixture.
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Step 8
Check the seasoning. Add some of the cooked tomatoes too. Gently reheat the sauce and the mash to serve, and top with the remaining tomatoes.