Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of dry wheat berries
• 1 oz of dried, sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1.5 tsp of "Better than Boullion mushroom base
  
  
• 6 oz of wood ear mushrooms
• 2-3 tbsp of butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Notes

• Once I get the water amount and timing down right, this should be postable.
• On the second attempt I only used 4.5 cups of water for 2 cups of dry wheat berries.  That actually slowed the cooking time.  Next time around I should use a full 6 cups for 30 minutes, and reserve the broth for later cooking.

Adapted from:  www.vkusnyblog.com

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of dry red wheat berries
• 1 or 2 cubes of vegetable bouillion
• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped coursely
• 1 pound of fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2/3 of a cup of half and half or heavy cream
• 10 tbsp of coarsely chopped parsley

Method

1. You will not use the crisper tray for this recipe.
2. Pour 4.5 cups of water in the pot along with a cube or two of your favorite bouillion.  Add dry wheat berries.  Steam for 30 minutes, but check them at 20. If you like their texture already, dump into strainer and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
3. Slice the mushrooms in 2-4 pieces, depending on how big they are.
4. Pour in enough olive oil to barely cover the bottom of the pot.  Add the onions and mushrooms.  Saute/sear on Hi5, stirring every 3-5 minutes until the onions are almost translucent and then add the mushrooms and continue with the lid down until the mushrooms are soft.  
5. Add salt, pepper and garlic.  Cook for about a minute so that the garlic becomes fragrant.
6. Add boiled wheatberries and parsley to the pot, mixing occasionally until they are heated through.
7. Pour in cream and mix.
8. Serve promptly.

Notes

• The wheat berry and water quantities will vary depending on the type of wheat berries you use.  Read the box instructions to get it right, or try my timing first with wheat berries from the bulk bins at Sprouts.  You can also find wheat berries in some Middle Eastern stores and probably among Bob's Red Mill products as well, but I bet they are pricier.
• If you are salt/spice sensitive, reduce the salt and pepper to 1/4 tsp each.
• If you think the pilaf will be in the fridge for more than a day, I might skip the cream.  Milk products go bad faster than milkless grain dishes.  That said, I've had a batch in the fridge for two days, and I see no sign of spoilage.

Next variation

• Next time around I would like to get some additional mushroom flavor, so I might steam the wheat with some type of dried mushroom... maybe ground dried mushrooms.
• I think I'll add a cup of shredded carrots to the onions and mushrooms as they are cooking, as well as a cup of thinly sliced celery.

Wheat berries

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

Servings:  two cups of uncooked wheat berries yields about 5 cups of boiled wheat berries.

2023-07-07:  I put one cup of red wheat berries in the pot along with four cups of water, and set the Speedi to 10 minutes on the steam setting.  After ten minutes I tried them, and they were at an al dente tenderness that would probably be edible, but I added another three minutes for a bit more softness:  still a bit hard.  Added another 3 minutes: I think this is still a bit hard.  Took forever to chew through my morning bowl of boiled wheat berries.

Next time I should try 20 minutes to start with, one cup of wheat berries and 3 cups of water.  Once I finalize the timing for one cup, I should redo for two cups.

2023-07-08:  This time I'm trying one cup of wheat berries with three cups of water but at 20 minutes on the steam setting.  Still hardish.  Added 5.  Still hardish.  Added five.  Removed, strained, rinsed with cold water.  Next time I should try 30 minutes to begin with.

2023-07-10:  This time I'm trying two cups of wheat berries with six cups of water at 30 minutes on the steam setting.  They came out at a good al dente texture.  Made about just shy of 5 cups of boiled wheat berries.

2023-11-07:  Yup, 30 minutes is spot on.

Absolutely simplest

Boil the wheat berries with a cube of bouillon till they have the texture you want.  Eat 'em.

Really freakin' simple

This is the basic breakfast cereal version.  To hell with oatmeal.  First off, boil the wheat berries with nothing but water till they get to the texture you like.  Pour them in a sieve and run cold water over them to stop them from cooking.  Put 'em in the fridge.  Then in the morning put a cup of them in a bowl and:

• throw in a tablespoon or two of butter.  
• throw in a tablespoon or two of butter.  Pour on some honey.
• throw in a tablespoon or two of butter.  Pour on some maple syrup.
• throw in a tablespoon or two of butter.  Pour on some pomegranate molasses.
• throw in a tablespoon or two of butter and some brown sugar.

Cover.  Heat in the microwave for a minute or so. Stir and eat.

Not too tough

• http://shininghappypeople.net/blogs/intentionaleating.php/2022/11/12/wheat-berries-with-onions-and and garlic
• http://shininghappypeople.net/blogs/intentionaleating.php/2022/11/10/salmon-wheat-bowl-to-be

Somewhat more complex

• http://shininghappypeople.net/blogs/intentionaleating.php/2022/11/11/wheat-berries-with-strawberries-and goat cheese
• http://shininghappypeople.net/blogs/intentionaleating.php/2022/11/01/wheat-berries-curried-with-apples and honey
• http://shininghappypeople.net/blogs/intentionaleating.php/2022/10/31/kasha-with-mushrooms-part-2\

I discovered that Haji Baba has wheat berries at a reasonable price.  Deceived by the strawberry and goat cheese recipe,  I tried to do one cup of uncooked wheat berries for 45 minutes.  Had to keep adding water till I got up to 4 cups. 

Next time around, I'll start out with one cup of wheat berries, four cups of water, and one cube of vegetable bouillion (which normally flavors two cups of water) if it's a savory dish.  I'll set the timer to stir every 5 minutes.  At 45 minutes I'll check to see if they are yet al dente, and if not keep checking until the hour is up.

2022-11-15:  I had 1.5 cups of raw wheat berries, so I used a 4:1 ratio of water to wheat.  That was too much they got too soft even at 45 minutes, although still good.  Next time I'll try a 3.5:1 ratio.  If that doesn't work, I'll try 3:1.  It might be that the berries have some variation to their softness/wetness, so probably I'll have to keep testing somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes.

2022-11-21:  This time I tried 3 cups of water.  Once it got to a boil, I set the lower right burner to 3, which left it at a slow rolling boil.  The wheat was ready in 40 minutes.  I drained and rinsed in cool water to stop the cooking.  This was about perfect.

I had about 3/4 cup of wheat berries left, so I threw them in the microwave briefly for some heat.  In a small pan I fried in butter a bit less than a quarter of a medium-diced white onion along with a few cloves of smashed garlic, sprinkled in some salt and pepper, and then mixed it all with the wheat.

Adequate.  But the wheat berries of course did not pick up any of the taste of the onions or garlic.  Next time around I'll saute them with the aromatics.  Hopefully they will pick up some of the flavor that way and maybe even become a bit crunchier.

Source:  https://wintermonroe.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/strawberry-and-goat-cheese-wheat-berry-salad/

Wheat Berries:

• 2 cups soft white wheat berries, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Dressing

• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from 2 oranges)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons orange zest (from 1 large orange)
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, packed, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 10 medium strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1/3 cup (4 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (see Cook’s Note)

Method

For the wheat berries: In a large saucepan, combine the wheat berries, chicken broth, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook until the wheat berries are tender, 60 to 70 minutes. Drain the wheat berries in a colander and set aside to cool, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a salad bowl.

For the dressing:  Zest the oranges before juicing them.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice, olive oil, orange zest, agave nectar, mint leaves, salt, and pepper until smooth. Pour the dressing over the wheat berries and add the strawberries, goat cheese, and walnuts. Toss until all the ingredients are coated.

Cook’s Note: To toast the walnuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 6 to 8 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool completely before using.

Notes

This turned out amazing.  I used raw pecan halves instead of walnuts; not too fond of walnuts.

Sorry for the dark picture; it does no justice to the look or taste of the dish.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, butter
• Chopped onion
• Partially cooked wheat berries
• Chopped apple, skin on is okay
• honey
• salt to taste
• boiling water

Method

• Seat of your pants

I wanted to prepare some wheat berries for use over the next few days, and on this occasion I used White Sonora Wheat Berries, which are produced in Arizona by Ramona Farms, and which I purchased at Whole Foods.  This type of wheat was actually brought here by Padre Kino and first distributed to the Pima Indians (Akimel O'Odham).

I wanted to allow for further cooking once I used them, so instead of cooking for the full hour, I cooked them for 45 minutes.  My first taste suggests that they are already edible, but this way I can add them to curries or other dishes and cook them another 15 minutes without cause them to dissolve.  After 45 minutes I rinsed them with cold water, drained them for 5 minutes in a sieve, and then stored them in the fridge.