Spelt salad, tomatoes, olives and pecorino cheese

 Spelt salad, tomatoes, olives and pecorino cheese

Spelt salad, cherry tomatoes, olives and pecorino cheese is a cold first course that on hot summer days represents a valid alternative to the usual pasta. It doesn't take long to prepare and can be enjoyed the next day, proving to be an excellent idea for a healthy lunch break at the office.

NGREDIENTS

• 300 g of husked spelt
• 20 black and green olives
• 250 g of cherry tomatoes
• 50 g of semi-mature Tuscan pecorino cheese
• 1 pinch of dried oregano
• 1 spring onion
• 1 garlic clove
• extra virgin olive oil
• a few basil leaves
• salt

Spelt salad, tomatoes, olives and pecorino cheese is a first course which is particularly appreciated on hot summer days, because it should be eaten cold or at room temperature. Preparing it is really simple, although it takes about an hour to cook the spelt. But this operation does not require any attention and it can be sped up by using a pressure cooker. 

The protagonist of this dish is a very ancient cereal which has been abandoned for a long time because cultivating it was not so convenient in economic terms. Luckily, thanks to its numerous nutritional properties, spelt has been rediscovered and today it is used in many preparations, both hot and cold. Excellent in soups mixed with other cereals and legumes, it is often preferred to rice, bulgur and amaranth to make salads because it is more aromatic and consistent.

It goes well with fish as in spelt and shrimps salad, as well as with meat. It is excellent with cheeses and vegetables as in spelt salad with provolone cheese and sauteed vegetables and in spelt salad with celery, peppers and scamorza cheese. It can be combined with an infinite number of other ingredients in order to adapt the recipe to the needs of every diner and to create healthy and balanced dishes to bring to work, to enjoy outdoors or to eat at home for a light lunch or dinner.

The first thing to do to prepare the salad of spelt, cherry tomatoes, olives and pecorino cheese, is to soak the spelt for 12 hours. After this time, rinse it and cook it in abundant salted water, flavored with a clove of garlic, for about 45 minutes, then drain it, dress it with 4 tablespoons of oil, a pinch of salt and oregano and let it cool. Then add the cherry tomatoes cut in half.

Clean the spring onion and cut it into thin slices. Dice the pecorino cheese. Add both of these ingredients to the farro and mix. 

Add the olives and a few basil leaves, chopped according to taste. Finish with a splash of oil and stir again. The spelt, cherry tomatoes, olives and pecorino salad is ready to be enjoyed.