Cracked Wheat Salad with Green Olives and Golden Raisins

Place the wheat berries, a sprinkling of salt, and enough water to cover them by 2 inches in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the wheat berries are tender but not mushy, about 45 minutes.

Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, place the bulgur in a large bowl and cover with 1 1/2 cups of steaming hot water.

Let it sit about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the water is absorbed and the bulgur is soft. (I always taste it; the bulgur shouldn’t have any crunch or hard edges.)

Add the cooked wheat berries to the bulgur.

Whisk together the citrus zests, juices, olive oil, kosher salt, and crushed red pepper in a small bowl.

Add the dressing to the grains and toss well.

Add the parsley, mint, cilantro, olives, raisins, and celery hearts, and use a rubber spatula to combine enough to moisten all ingredients. Taste again for seasonings, adding additional salt, citrus juice, or olive oil as needed.

I always chop golden raisins. I like the taste, but it's a quirk of mine that I don't like to bite into a whole raisin. By all means leave them whole if you like. If you're not a cilantro lover, leave it out or substitute some fresh basil.

Taste

Book, using the USDA Nutrition Database

Published by Knopf.Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook.Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas.  Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer.  Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.