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1.5 C. Mixed grains, cooked
1 Lg. Onion, minced
2 Cloves garlic, minced
¼ C Extra virgin olive oil plus more for cooking
3 C. Hazelnuts, toasted
2 C. Heavy cream
2 C. Milk
Peel of one orange
2 Cloves garlic
Sherry vinegar
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Fata morgana, or other feta cheese, crumbled
½ Bu. Parsley, cleaned and chopped

 Select a few different grains and prepare them according to package. We love wild rice, millet, amaranth, and farro. You will want about 1.5 cups of 4 different grains or about 6 cups of total grains.

After your grains are cooked, mix to combine, and set aside. Chop 1 cup of hazelnuts and set aside. Place the remaining nuts in a sauce pot with the cream, orange peel, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 tsp salt. Simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Discard the orange peel and garlic. Place the nuts in a blender and blend until creamy, adding some of the liquid as needed (you’re looking for a texture that is spreadable, not too thick but not too loose). Season with salt and sherry vinegar to taste. Set hazelnut cream aside (for a non-dairy version you can use water in place of the milk or half water and half coconut cream).

Sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil under tender but not browned. Season with salt and let cool. To assemble the salad, toss the grains with the onion and garlic mixture and the parsley. Dress with extra virgin olive oil and taste for salt. In a shallow bowl/platter, spread the hazelnut cream on the bottom. Gently scoop the grain salad on top and garnish with the cheese, chopped hazelnuts and parsley. Any number of seasonal vegetables maybe added to suit your taste! Squash and mushrooms are great for the fall, or peas and fava beans in the spring.

CHEF CLAYTON ALLEN