Summer Wheatberry Salad

So far this summer, I haven't been doing a lot of cooking that I think is worthy of documenting. There have been some exceptions and my Father-in-Law's Birthday dinner was one. I like to try and impress Max as he doesn't give out compliments easily.
Two days before, I found a fantastic looking leg of lamb that was already de-boned. Our new town, Mount Albert, hasn't got much but we do have an organic grocery store called "The Clean Food Connection". They have excellent meat and veggies and we have our favourite milk ordered in weekly. When I saw the lamb, I knew exactly what I would do with it. I marinated it for the next two days in plain organic yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and fresh rosemary. I used the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa's Parties Cookbook. It turned out beautifully, cooked on the charcoal BBQ for about 45 minutes.
For a dish to accompany the lamb, I baked some sliced eggplant and then spooned a simple vinaigrette over the slices while they were still warm. The recipe came out of a magazine called "The Best of Fine Cooking: Fresh" from the Spring/Summer Issue. Also from that magazine, I made the Summer Wheatberry Salad. Wheatberries are something I have been experimenting with in the last year or so. I first made the Wheatberry Salad from The Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook. It was OK but I haven't made it again and probably won't. *(see bottom comment)
Bonnie Stern has a great Wheatberry Salad with Dill & Feta in her "Best of HeartSmart Cooking Cookbook". I have made that a few times. I really like that cookbook and I can always find something in there that catches my fancy.
Here is the recipe for the Summer Wheatberry Salad that I made the other night. If you can remember to boil the wheatberries at least an hour before you want to serve it, it is a quick salad and very good. There are "hard" and "soft" wheatberries and different recipes will mention one or the other. I have only tried the hard ones as the Barefoot Contessa recommended. She said the soft ones will go soggy.

Summer Wheatberry Salad

For the Salad:
1 c. wheatberries
6 c. water or chicken stock or veggie stock (I used chicken stock)
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 c. chopped artichoke hearts
1/2 c. quartered cherry tomatoes
1/4 c. diced roasted red pepper
2 T. capers, drained and chopped
3 T. sliced green onions (white & green parts)
1/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted (I quickly toasted them on the stove until they smelled nutty)
2T. chopped fresh basil or cilantro

For the vinaigrette:
1/2 to 1 t. finely minced garlic
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

In a heavy saucepan with a lid, combine the wheatberries, water or broth, salt, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer partially covered until the wheatberries are pleasantly chewy, which may take anywhere from 50 to 90 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, discard the bay leaf, and let the berries cool in the liquid and put the berries into a large bowl. Add the artichoke hearts, roasted pepper, capers, scallion, almonds, and basil or cilantro.
In a small bowl, whisk the garlic, lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper; toss with the salad. Enjoy!

* There are very few recipes from the Barefoot Contessa that I don't make again. I could spend most of my time just telling you about all the recipes that I love but it is quicker to mention the ones that I don't like!