Precooked Wheat Berries Food

PASTIERA NAPOLETANA RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir to combine.
• Add the cubed butter and mix till coarse crumbs form.
• Mix in the lightly beaten eggs, vanilla extract and orange zest until it forms a smooth ball. (takes less than a minute).
• Wrap the dough in cling wrap and allow to chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile spoon the jar of the cooked wheat in a medium sized stock pot.
• Add in the milk, vanilla bean and lemon zest.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes or until the mixture thickens and has absorbed most of the liquids.
• Stir frequently making sure to keep an eye on it so the wheat berries do not stick to the pot and burn.
• Scrap out the any remaining seeds from the vanilla bean. Stir them back into the cooked wheat mixture and set aside to cool.
• While the mixture cools, grease a 25cm round tart tin with a removable bottom and set aside. (I used a 25cm (10 inch) deep quiche pan with removable bottom however any 10 inch pie dish would also work).
• Cut a quarter of the dough off, reserving it for the lattice top.
• Roll out the remaining dough to about 1/8 inch thick and line the tart tin with the rolled dough.
• Trim off any excess dough with a knife.
• In a medium sized bowl mix together the ricotta, the 2 whole eggs plus 2 egg yolks until light and fluffy.
• Mix in the powdered sugar (icing sugar), orange blossom water, orange and lemon zests until combined.
• Stir in the cooled wheat mixture.
• In a separate bowl beat the two remaining egg whites just until stiff peaks form and then softly fold them into the ricotta mixture.
• Pour the ricotta mixture into the prepared pie.
• Roll out the remaining pastry dough and cut out 9 strips of dough slightly longer than the pie tin. (about 1 inch wide)
• Place the strips of dough over the filling in a criss-cross pattern and trim off any excess.
• Brush the strips of dough with milk and bake the pie in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F, for about 60 minutes or until a lovely golden brown.
• Allow the ricotta pie to cool completely before refrigerating then dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
• This ricotta pie actually tastes better the day after it's baked making it a great make ahead dessert.

WHEAT BERRY SALAD

Steps:

• In a large pot combine the wheat berries and enough water to come 2 inches over the wheat berries. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 1 hour, or until tender. Drain and let cool. Toast the walnuts in a medium dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, walnuts, celery, dried cherries, scallions, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

WHEAT BERRIES WITH ROASTED BEETS AND CARROTS

Steps:

• Put a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Toast the wheat berries in a large dry pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring often, 6 to 7 minutes. Add 8 cups water and season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the wheat berries are tender but still slightly chewy, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, adding up to 1 cup more water if needed. Drain. Wipe out the pot and reserve.
• Meanwhile, place the beets on a large sheet of foil; drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Fold and crimp the edges to form a packet, leaving room for steam to circulate. Transfer the packet directly to the oven rack and roast until the beets are tender when pierced with a knife, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool slightly, then rub off the skins with a paper towel and cut into wedges.
• Meanwhile, remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the carrots and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper; toss. Roast until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the reserved pot over medium-high heat. Add the red onion, fennel, garlic, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and the fennel is crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Add the wheat berries, carrots and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook, stirring, until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the orange juice, lemon juice and all but 2 tablespoons parsley; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the beets. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

BASIC COOKED WHEAT BERRIES

Steps:

• Place all ingredients into a pressure cooker and cook on high heat until hissing begins and pressure rises. Lower heat to maintain hissing and cook for 45 minutes.

MARIA'S EASTER (WHEAT) PIE/"PASTIERA DI GRANO"

Steps:

• ***PreparingThe Wheat: If"soaked" or"precooked" wheat is not available, dry wheat may be used.
• Cover the dry wheat with cold water (water should be about 2 inches over the wheat) and boil it for 15 minutes or until the wheat berries crack open.
• Remove pan from heat and allow wheat to soak for a full 24 hours.
• After soaking, drain well before using in steps#17-19.
• If"soaked"/"precooked" wheat is used, add the wheat to a pan of boiling water and cook it for about 5-10 minutes (most of the wheat berries should be open and they should be chewy but tender).
• Drain well, let cool and use for steps#17-19.
• Crust: Mix flour, sugar and lemon peel together in a bowl.
• Work butter into flour using your fingers (until it is the size of peas).
• Add eggs one at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon.
• Knead the dough lightly until it holds together well and clears the bowl.
• Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill it for about 1/2- 1 hour before using.
• Cream: Fill the bottom of a double boiler with enough water so that its insert doesn't quite touch the water; bring the water to a boil.
• Mix the whole milk, egg yolks, sugar, flour, lemon peel and citron together in the insert of the double boiler which has been set in to the bottom pan.
• Cook the"cream," stirring constantly until it has thickened and is the consistency of a thick pudding (about 20-30 minutes).
• Remove the insert from the boiling water and set aside to allow the"cream" to cool, stir occasionally to keep a skin from forming.
• Note: I sometimes put the insert pan with the"cream" mixture into a bowl of very cold water, to help it cool down faster, don't forget to stir it.
• Wheat: Add the (cooked, soaked, well drained) wheat to a saucepan with the milk and butter.
• Cook the wheat mixture, stirring occasionally until the butter melts, and mixture starts to boil; boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Prepare Pans: On a lightly floured board, roll out the chilled dough to about 1/8 inch thick and line the bottom and sides of two lightly buttered 9-inch glass cake pans.
• Leave a 1/2 inch overhang of dough if you are going to use the lattice top.
• If not using the lattice, trim the overhang to 1/4 inch.
• Re-roll scraps and cut into 1/2 inch wide strips to use as a lattice top for the pie.
• (If you prefer, the lattice can be omitted.) Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Ricotta Filling: Mix ricotta, eggs, sugar and lemon peel together in a large bowl.
• Beat mixture by hand, with a wooden spoon, until smooth and creamy.
• Add the"cream" mixture and the wheat mixture to the ricotta filling, stirring until all is well blended.
• Pour or ladle the filling into prepared pans (to within 1/4 inch of the top of the pan).
• For The Lattice: place the strips of dough across the filling, spaced about 1 inch apart (at right angles) forming a lattice top.
• Fold the 1/2 inch overhang over the edges of the lattice and flute well.
• If not making the lattice top, fold the 1/4 inch overhang on to itself, and lightly flute.
• Bake pies in a preheated 350°F oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the bottom of the crust is light brown, the center is set, and the top of the pies are golden.
• Turn off oven and let the pies cool for an hour in the oven with the oven door slightly (about 2 inches) ajar.
• Remove pies from oven and place on a wire rack.
• When completely cooled, cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until serving.
• If you like, you can give the pie tops a light sprinkle of powdered sugar before serving.
• Note: Its best to served this pie directly from the pan, as trying to plate the whole pie is more trouble than its worth, and causes breakage.

BASIC COOKED WHEAT BERRIES

Steps:

• Place washed berries in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook shaking the pan for around 3 to 5 minutes. Till they start to pop. Being careful not to over cook or burn.
• Stovetop: Combine water and wheat in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until all the water is absorbed and grain is soft and chewy, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Slow Cooker: Combine water and wheat in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.