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Spelt Salad with Herb Pesto and Primosale

17/11/2023

The spelt salad with herb pesto and primosale is a fresh and tasty dish, perfect for a summer lunch or as a nourishing one-dish meal. Here’s the recipe with an Italian twist on the pesto.

Ingredients

  • 200 g of spelt
  • 100 g of primosale
  • For the herb pesto:
    • 1 bunch of basil
    • 1 bunch of parsley
    • A few mint leaves (to taste)
    • 1 clove of garlic
    • 30 g of pine nuts
    • 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
    • Extra virgin olive oil (as needed)
    • Salt and pepper (as needed)
  • Cherry tomatoes for garnish
  • Black olives, pitted (optional)
  • Balsamic vinegar (for dressing, optional)

Preparation

  1. Start by preparing the spelt. Rinse it under running water and cook it in plenty of salted water according to the package instructions, usually about 15-20 minutes, until it’s al dente. Once cooked, drain it and let it cool off.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the herb pesto. Wash and dry the herbs and place them in a blender along with the other pesto ingredients (garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil). Blend everything until smooth. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
  3. Cut the primosale into small cubes.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the cool spelt, cubes of primosale, and a portion of the herb pesto. Mix well to flavor the spelt.
  5. Wash and halve the cherry tomatoes and add them to the salad. If you wish, you can also add some black olives.
  6. Dress with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar if you like a sour touch.
  7. Before serving, stir the salad again and adjust the seasoning if needed, you might want to add more pesto to taste.

Spelt is a very versatile grain rich in nutritional properties, such as fibers and proteins. This salad can easily be adapted based on personal tastes and available herbs. If you didn’t have primosale, you might consider using feta or another fresh cheese of your liking.

Curiosity

Spelt is an ancient grain, widely used in the diet of the Romans and appreciated for its satiating properties and low glycemic index. In the pesto, we have included basil, whose fragrance is a symbol of Mediterranean cuisine, and Parmesan, an Italian excellence known all over the world.