Toasted corn and spelt with miso dressing
This salad is delicious made fresh, but the flavour improves when it's refrigerated overnight. The spelt soaks up the dressing, so if you do make it ahead, double the dressing ingredients, add half before refrigerating the salad, then add reserved dressing to taste just before serving. Miso dressing may sound unusual, but a good slug of brown rice vinegar plus a little tahini for balance equals plenty of umami in this nutty, savoury salad.
From: gourmettraveller.com.au SERVES 8-10
6 corn cobs
300 gm spelt
80 gm smoked almonds, coarsely chopped
2 cups (loosely packed) coriander, coarsely chopped
3 small spring onions, thinly sliced
3 radishes
Miso dressing
75 gm (¼ cup) shiro miso
80 ml (1/3 cup) brown rice vinegar
60 ml (¼ cup) soy sauce
80 ml (¼ cup) mild-flavoured extra-virgin olive oil
Char-grill corn over medium heat on a barbecue, turning occasionally, until charred and tender (15-25 minutes; don’t worry if the corn chars unevenly). Wrap in clean tea towels and set aside to steam and cool.
Meanwhile, cook spelt in a large saucepan of boiling water until tender (20-30 minutes), then drain and spread on a tray to dry and cool (30 minutes). Transfer to a large bowl.
For miso dressing, whisk ingredients (doubling if serving the following day) in a bowl to combine, then pour over spelt, season to taste, toss to combine and set aside.
Cut kernels from corn cobs, then add to spelt along with almonds and refrigerate until required, or overnight. Before serving, season to taste with extra dressing if required. Add coriander and spring onions, toss to combine, then scatter with radish shaved thinly on a mandolin.