Spiced Cracked Wheat And Lentils For Grown Ups Food

CRACKED WHEAT FOR THE KIDS

Steps:

• Cook cracked wheat in butter for a couple of minutes. Add water and bring it to a boil. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes or until tender. Serve with grated Parmesan or serve with plain yogurt, sliced almonds and raisins.

BEER SNO-CONES (AKA GRANITAS FOR GROWN-UPS)

Steps:

• This is quite possibly the easiest dessert to make. Simply stir your beer and brown sugar together in a high-sided bowl and pour the mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish. Let freeze for 1 hour, until you see ice crystals forming at the edge of the baking dish.
• Using a fork, mix the icy part of the granita into the rest of the beer mixture in the dish. Continue to do this every 45 minutes or so, until the dish has an Italian ice texture. This could take 3 to 4 hours.
• To serve, simply scoop into a cup.

GROWN UP "FRANKS AND BEANS"

Steps:

• Heat a 10-inch straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and continue to heat. Pierce each sausage link twice with the tip of a pairing knife. Add the sausages to the hot pan and brown evenly on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the sausages to a plate to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, slice each link on the bias into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.
• Reduce the heat to medium. To the hot skillet, add the bacon. Cook until it is brown and crisp. Add the garlic and onions and cook, stirring regularly, until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to blister and break down, about 10 minutes. Add the paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, drained beans, thyme and rosemary and allow the mixture to return to a simmer. Nestle the sausages back in and add any juice that may have collected on the plate. Allow the mixture to cook until the sausages are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water, cook the pasta for 8 minutes. Drain and immediately pour the cooked pasta into the bean mixture to finish cooking, about another 3 minutes.

GRAPE LEAVES STUFFED WITH BULGUR OR CRACKED WHEAT AND CUMIN FROM RHODES

Steps:

• Combine the cracked wheat, onion, tomatoes, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and the cumin. Cover and let rest for 2 hours, then mix in the dill and mint.
• While the wheat mixture is resting, drain the grape leaves and rinse well in a colander. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and blanch the grape leaves, in batches if necessary, for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and immediately rinse under cold running water. Trim the tough stems off the leaves and set aside the ones that are either very small or torn. Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the bottom center of each leaf on the table. Fold the bottom over the filling, then fold the sides over it and roll up, tucking the sides in as you go. Place the grape leaves seam side down in the pot, snugly next to each other, in layers. Pour the lemon juice over them, then pour in enough water to barely cover the surface of the dolmathes. Cut a piece of parchment to the circumference of the pot and fit it over the leaves. Cover with a plate to keep the grape leaves in place and place the lid on the pot. Simmer until the leaves and cracked wheat are tender and the pot juices absorbed, about 50 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve.