Gluten-Free Oat Berry Pilaf with Walnuts and Gorgonzola

Why This Recipe Works

While we think of oats mostly as part of a wholesome breakfast, oat berries—whole oats that have been hulled and cleaned but not processed—have a pleasant chew and are the perfect gluten-free replacement for farro or wheat berries. We wanted a satisfying oat berry pilaf with hearty add-ins. To cook the oat berries, we opted not to toast them since they naturally have a nutty flavor, and instead added the water and oat berries to the pan after sautéing some shallot. After testing various ratios of water to oat berries, we settled on 4:3 (2 cups water to 1½ cups oat berries). Creamy, pungent Gorgonzola seemed like it would be a nice balance to the earthy oat berries’ nutty flavor, so we started there for our add-ins. First we tried stirring the Gorgonzola into the oat berries once they were cooked, but the result was a thick, gluey mixture. It was better to wait and simply sprinkle the cheese over the oat berries just before serving. The addition of tart cherries and tangy balsamic vinegar cut through the richness and strong flavors, while parsley gave our pilaf the freshness it needed.