I often make various versions of palikaria at home, since it’s very nutritious and tastes delicious. In Greece you can easily find ready-mixed packages with different pulses and often wheat berries or other grains. I purchased my mix, which includes brown and black lentils, whole green peas, chickpeas, four different kinds of beans (white, cranberry, black and red), black eyed peas, yellow split peas and whole buckwheat grains, from To Mitato tou Psiloriti, my go-to Cretan deli. I made the salad more complex by adding pistachios and sesame seeds as well as pomegranate seeds, which are in season (and were often included in ancient panspermia recipes). I also put in some pink grapefruit for the acidity and the fact that vitamin C helps you absorb the iron in pulses like lentils. You can replace the grapefruit with any other citrus fruit of your choice.

You can make this recipe either by using different dried pulses (you need to soak them overnight, preferably separately) or with canned beans mixed with boiled lentils (which don’t require soaking), corn and peas (which can be canned or even frozen and boiled).

Cretan Palikaria with a Twist

For a large salad

400 gr mixed pulses and grains of your choice, boiled (boiling time depends on what you use)
2-3 spring onions, chopped
½ fennel bulb, diced
2-3 red radishes, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 pink grapefruit, diced
2-3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
½ cup chopped dill
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 bunch red arugula (or any arugula), coarsely chopped
1 Lebanese cucumber, diced

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

If you are using dried pulses like beans or chickpeas and a grain like wheat berries you will need to soak them overnight.

I recommend boiling them separately, as it will be easier to control their consistency. Lentils and wheat berries usually require about 20-30 minutes, while beans and chickpeas will need longer, between 40-60 minutes, depending on their freshness.

I boil pulses in fresh water with salt and a bay leaf. You may also use bulgur just like you would in a tabouleh salad (I do not boil it at all in that case, I just soak it in water) or for a gluten-free version you can use a grain like quinoa, millet or amaranth. Once ready, drain them thoroughly and mix all together in a bowl.

In a small bowl prepare the dressing by mixing the olive oil with the vinegar, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Prepare the rest of the salad ingredients and mix them in a large bowl. Add in the pulses and grains you are using, followed by the dressing. Toss and serve.

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