I’ve recently discovered the whole Sharpham Park range of organic spelt products. The flour makes fantastic bread and their whole grain pearled spelt is excellent for soups, ‘speltottos’ and my rich tomato salad. A cross between Emmer wheat and Goats grass, spelt has a distinctive, naturally nutty flavour, is easily digestible and avoids the bloat factor often associated with eating highly refined wheat. I’ve pretty much replaced all my standard wheat flour with spelt for bread, pastry and cake making and feel all the better for it. Naturally, it tastes really good too : ). I serve this flavoursome salad as part of a tapas style menu and it goes down a treat. Served with a chopped avocado on the side, it makes a tasty and filling lunch or quick supper. It’s the perfect summer recipe, especially if you grow your own tomatoes and you’re always looking for new and different ways to use them.
You will need…
150g Sharpham Park pearled spelt- 1 dessert spoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp sundried tomato paste
- 250g tomatoes – a mix of cherry and large tomatoes works perfectly, heritage tomatoes of different colours will make it look extra-special
- A generous handful of freshly chopped mint leaves
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- A pinch of chilli powder
- Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste
- Optional: 10 sunblush tomatoes, chopped
To make…
Rinse and then boil the pearled spelt for 20 minutes in plenty of water. Drain and allow the steam to dissipate and leave the grains dry and separate. Add to a large mixing bowl.- Chop the fresh (and sunblush) tomatoes into bite sized pieces – quarter the cherry tomatoes. Add to the cooked spelt.
- Stir in the sun-dried tomato paste, olive oil, chilli powder, chopped mint and vinegar.
- Season to taste and transfer to a serving dish.
- Best served on the day of making at room temperature – avoid chilling it otherwise the tomatoes will appear to completely lose their flavour.
Pigeon Cottage Kitchen 