Get a New Grain: Wheat Berries

Written on Aug 25, 2009 by Lia Huber

I sometimes find that healthy eating advice can sort of skid right by me. I notice it, it sounds good, but it’s just too far out of my groove to actually do anything about. That’s how I felt several years ago when I first learned how incredibly nutritious whole grains are and what a powerful effect they have on our bodies. “Eat more whole grains” sounded like great advice, but I just didn’t have the time to get acquainted and when I don’t know an ingredient well, odds are it isn’t going to show up on my table on a Tuesday night.

But since then, I’ve had the chance to experiment with several different types of whole grains and now stock my pantry with everything from bulgur to wheat berries. In the end, it wasn’t the taste or texture or even cooking method that was daunting, it was just getting them to stay on my radar.

So  for anyone who desires to get over the whole grain hump, I’ll occasionally feature a single whole grain in a Nibble to Noodle to encourage you to try it, experiment, get comfortable with it. Hopefully, it will stick to your radar.
This week . . . wheat berries.

Wheat Berries

Wheat berries are actually whole wheat kernels. It’s the wheat berries that are ground into whole wheat flour; white wheat berries create a lighter, tan colored flour and red wheat berries yield a darker, tawny tint. Left whole, though, wheat berries are a versatile addition to the kitchen.

wheat-berries-post

What They Look Like: You’ll find both white and red wheat berries, which carry the hues of their name. When cooked, they’re the size of plumped up rice and have a buttery sheen to them.

What They Taste Like: Soft wheat berries (whether white or red) have a toothsome starchiness to them. Hard wheat berries retain a firm chewiness no matter how long they boil.

How to Cook Them: Wheat berries in general have a particularly tough bran that takes some time to soften, but cooking time varies significantly between soft and hard varieties. Just as there are different strains of wheat—hard wheat that’s higher in gluten and typically used for bread products and soft wheat with a lower protein content that’s used more for pastries—there are different types of wheat berries too. Soft wheat berries (whether white or red) cook up in just over an hour while hard wheat berries (again, regardless of color) can take hours to cook.

Cook soft wheat berries in a 3 to 1 ratio of liquid. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 60 to 90 minutes, or until tender (drain off any excess liquid). For hard wheat berries, soak overnight and double (at least . . . keep an eye out to make sure the liquid hasn’t been absorbed or the kernels will scorch) both liquid and cooking time.

How to Use Them: Wheat berries have a sturdy texture and complex, wheaty flavor that make for wonderful salads and stir-fries. Subbing them for rice as a side dish is also a great way to get to know them.

Additional Notes: You’ll find hard red and hard white and soft red and soft white wheat berries out there (and wheat flours as well), but don’t let the label lead you into thinking these whole grains are refined. The “white” they’re referring to here is a class of wheat due to the color of the kernel, not a refining process. Confusing, I know, but “white wheat” berries or flour are whole grain products with all three parts of the kernel intact while “white flour” is processed flour with all but the endosperm stripped away.

Categories : Sound Nutrition

Wheat Berry Salad with Middle Eastern Spices and Grilled Tomatoes and Eggplant

This salad always wows those new to whole grains. The smokiness of the vegetables, creaminess of the eggplant and haunting complexity of the spice paste create quite a sensation.

wheat-berry-salad-recipe

1 cup soft white wheat berries (like Bob’s Red Mill)
3 cups water
sea salt
3 cloves garlic
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon sumac (or lemon zest)
1-1/2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1-inch slices
1-1/2 pounds firm tomatoes, cored
¼ cup finely chopped parsley

Combine wheat berries and water with a pinch of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 60-90 minutes, or until tender. Drain off any excess water and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Heat grill to medium high. Brush eggplant slices with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Grill eggplant and tomatoes, turning occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, until eggplant is tender all the way through and tomato is slightly charred. Transfer all to a cutting board, remove any skin that peels off the tomatoes and coarsely chop all. Transfer vegetables and all their juices to the mixing bowl with the wheat berries.

Pound together garlic with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle to a paste. Whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, coriander and sumac. Heat a small frying pan over medium-low heat and add paste to pan. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant, then whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons oil and scrape into bowl with wheat berries and vegetables. Toss well, stir in parsley and serve.

Serves 4