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Wheat Berry Salad, Mid-Eastern I (P, TNT)
Source: Friend
Yield: About 8 cups

1 pound whole wheat berries
8 cups water
Salt
About 1-1/2 cups honey or sugar
1 to 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, to taste
2 cups raisins or dried currants
2 cups chopped mixed nuts
Pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)

Soak wheat berries in water to cover overnight. Drain.

Bring wheat berries and 8 cups of water with some salt added to boil. Simmer uncovered until tender but still slightly chewy, about 2 hrs.

Add the sugar or honey and cinnamon and stir over medium-low heat until the sugar or honey melts, about 2 minutes. The wheat berries will harden a bit when sugar is added.

Remove from heat. Stir in fruits and nuts. Can be served warm at room temperature, or chilled.

Poster's Notes:
Without presoaking the cooking time can take up to 5 hours. I bought the wheat berries at a health food store; they're sold by Arrow Head Mills.

I soaked them on Wednesday during the day for about 5 hours, that was enough. I cooked them for about 1-1/2 hours--you have to taste them to see if you feel they're soft enough.

I used Splenda, and probably not more than 1/4 cup. Start by mixing some in to taste. You can always add more, but if you use too much, it's irreversible unless you drain the whole thing and start over.

I soaked currants and raisins in water for an hour or so, then rinsed and added. I added the nuts--chopped walnuts and sliced almonds right before serving, otherwise they get soggy.

I did not add any pomegranate seeds. I found that 1 tsp. cinnamon is enough, but again, it's to taste. After I drained the cooked berries I rinsed them with cold water to cool, the put in mixing bowl and added the Splenda, cinnamon, and fruits. It was fine.

Posted by Elaine Rockoff

Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A