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Warm Grain Salad with Roasted Veg, Bacon & Cheese

A comforting one bowl meal with wonderful flavour and texture combinations that's perfect for the cooler months. Easily adaptable for different vegetables e.g. celeriac, parsnip, beetroot, spinach, chard.

Please read the accompanying blog post before starting.

Course Main Course, Starter, Lunch, dinner
Cuisine European
Keyword autumn, winter
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 2
Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

  • 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
  • 80 g smoked bacon, pancetta, or lardons (diced small)
  • 250 g cooked wholegrains (e.g. rice, bulgur, wheat, or a combination)
  • 50 g pecans (lightly toasted, broken up)
  • 25 g pumpkin seeds (lightly toasted)
  • 80 g cheese e.g. Stilton, garlic and herb (diced medium)

For the roasted vegetables

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled, cut into medium dice)
  • 1 large onion (peeled, cut in half then sliced thickly)
  • 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
  • 10 ml (2 tsp) dried thyme
  • salt and black pepper
  • 4 handfuls kale (tough stems removed, leaves roughly chopped or shredded: reserve a little and finely chop to use as garnish if liked)

For the dressing

  • 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil (plus the cooking fat reserved from the pancetta, bacon or lardons)
  • 2 small cloves garlic (finely chopped)
  • 15 ml (1 tbsp) red wine vinegar
  • 15 - 30 ml (1 - 2 tbsp) light brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 220° C/200° Fan /Gas 7 /425°F with a shelf just above the middle position.

    Have ready a large roasting tray, lined with paper or foil if liked.

  2. Roast the vegetables

    Place the prepared sweet potato and onion in the tray. Drizzle with olive oil, season with the dried thyme, salt, and pepper. Toss.

    Put in the preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes.

    Tip: while this is happening, fry the bacon as per the next step.

    After 15 minutes, toss the vegetables again and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

    Add the prepared kale to the tray, season with a little salt and pepper and toss in the oil.

    Return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until all the vegetables are done to your liking.

    Tip: If you don't have a microwave to reheat the cooked grains later, you can stir them into the roasting vegetables at the start of the final 5 minutes.

  3. Fry the bacon/pancetta/lardons

    Put 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.

    Add the bacon and fry until cooked through and the fat is crispy.

    Remove the bacon to a bowl or plate, leaving the fat behind.

  4. Reheat the cooked grains

    Microwave on high for 2½ minutes or according to any packet instructions.

  5. Make the dressing

    Put the frying pan with the bacon juices over medium heat.

    Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil (unless there are already more than 2 tablespoons of fat in there)

    Add the garlic and cook briefly, just until golden.

    Add the red wine vinegar plus 1 tablespoon of sugar and bubble until the sugar is dissolved.

    Take off the heat, taste and add more sugar if necessary. Add some black pepper plus salt if you think it needs it.

  6. Take a large bowl and tip in the hot grains, the roasted vegetables and any cooking juices, the toasted pecans and pumpkin seeds, and most of the bacon. Toss well.

    Add the warm dressing and toss again.

    Gently toss through half the cheese, trying not to break it up too much.

  7. Divide the salad between plates or bowls and sprinkle over the remaining bacon plus the reserved cheese.

    Sprinkle over any reserved finely chopped raw kale and serve.