Freekeh (yes, it's still a type of wheat)

Freekeh is green wheat, mostly eaten in the middle-east. It's a bit different so it gets its own post. Apparently it looks a bit like green bulghur.

Freekeh Hot Cereal

1 package precooked freekeh

1 cup organic apple cider (pear and apricot nectar work, too)
¼ cup chopped organic dried fruits
½ cup chopped fresh, organic apple (or pear)
1 tsp grated fresh, organic ginger
¼ tsp ground, organic cinnamon
1/8 cup ground organic flaxseed (optional)
¼ cup organic, whole milk yogurt (optional)
¼ cup chopped walnuts or almonds (optional; skip for kids younger than one-year-old and/or with suspected allergy or family history of nut allergies)

1. Simmer freekeh, dried fruit, apple, ginger and cinnamon in cider over medium heat until dried fruit plumps and the mixture thickens to a porridge consistency.

2. Take off heat and stir in flaxseed.

3. Serve warm topped with whole milk yogurt and nuts.

Sesame Seeds (Black)

Black Sesame Rice Porridge

1/2 cup raw black sesame seeds
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
water
salt
milk/mylk
sweetener

Soak rice
Toast seeds
Blend rice, seeds and water
Boil, adding water if necessary
Cook til thick, serve cold with milk and sweeteners.

Black Sesame porridge without rice

100g black sesame seeds
750 ml water
90g castor sugar
1 tbsp corn flour mixed with a bit of water

Rinse seeds, dry and toast til fragrant.

Blend with water until it's a paste.
Add sugar and simmer. Thicken the black sesame paste with cornstarch. Serve hot.

Farro

Apparently it's not wheat, it's slightly different and quite hard to come by. But if you do, I plan to hunt down a delicious recipe for you.

OKAY?

okay.

Cracked Farro Pudding

1 cup cracked Farro

2 cups water

1 pinch salt

¹/₂ cup currants

1¹/₅ cups date paste (recipe follows)

1 tsp. cinnamon, ground

1 tbs. lemon zest, grated (approx. 1 lemon)

optional fresh mint, pistachio pieces

Bring water to a boil with a pinch of salt, stir in Farro, cover and steam on low about 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then mix in other ingredients.

Savoury farro recipe from 1585

100 grams of shelled and peeled almonds,

100 grams Farro

one packet of saffron,

2.5 liters of broth of personal choice of stock with no spices, salt, pepper.

Directions (for 4 servings): let the almonds sit in water for 4 hours. Crush them into a paste. Soak the farro in water for at least 6 hours. Drain the water from the farro, replace with the broth, and cook until tender, stirring often. Save some broth for later. Add the almonds, saffron, pepper, and salt, and stir continuously until smooth. Add the remaining broth if necessary.

Savoury Farro

100 grams of farro,

2,5 liters of meat or vegetable broth,

2 egg yolks,

a pinch of saffron,

salt,

black pepper.

Directions

Cook farro. Beat the egg yolks in a dish with a little broth, and pour into the farro mixture. Add the saffron, salt, and pepper, and stir delicately to allow the broth to become very smooth. According to personal taste, add cinnamon and coriander.

Sweet and Spicy Farro, with apples and cashews

(I borrowed this from

http://5secondrule.typepad.com/files/sweet-and-spicy-farro-1.pdf until I can invent my own recipe)

1 cup semi-pearled farro

2 teaspoons butter

2 medium apples, cored but peel left on, diced

1/2 cup roasted, unsalted cashews

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

Pinch black pepper and pinch cayenne

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

Additional cinnamon, plus brown sugar and milk for serving

Place farro in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water by about one inch (about 3

cups water). Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently until

grains are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain in a colander, and dry the pot.

In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples, cashews, spices, salt,

and lemon juice, and raise heat to medium high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the

liquid evaporates and the apples soften and begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add to the

farro.

If making in advance (as recommended), cool completely and store, covered, in the

fridge. In the morning, dole out a portion and microwave with a healthy glug of

milk. Sweeten with brown sugar and sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired.

Flaxseed / Linseed

Flaxseeds are tiny wee seeds. They taste a bit like sunflower seeds crossed with olive oil. You can eat them straight up as seeds, add into in mueslis for additional health benefits or even biscuits or home made muesli bars.

Many people grind them and sprinkle them over porridge, but you can make your own porridge from them by grinding and pouring boiling water over them. Let the porridge sit for a couple minutes to absorb the water. You could flavour it, or instead of water try a herbal tea or a cup of broth.

Millet

There are many types of millet, such as Fonio and Montina. I will try to find out some names and update.

MILLET- toasted in a shallow pan til golden, cooked with chopped apricots, vanilla, saffron and ginger. Sweetened with golden syrup. Foul. Will try again without the saffron.

MILLET- take II- untoasted, with a chopped up banana, brown sugar and vanilla. Cooked in three hours completely absorbing all the water. Would recommend shorter cooking, less liquid as it was like overcooked rice. Really absorbed the flavour of the banana, so will be a good one to use a flavoured liquid with.

The basic preparation consists in washing the millet and toasting it in a dry pan over medium-low heat, tossing constantly, until fragrant and slightly golden-brown.

Then five measures of boiling water for each two measures of millet are added with some sugar or salt. The mixture is cooked covered using low flame for 30–35 minutes.

You can grind millet in a coffee grinder, mortar and pestle or a food processor or put the grains in a plastic or paper bag, and crush them with a rolling pin until finely ground. Or you can buy it pre-ground, I don't care.

Lentils

Can you lentil porridge? Yes you can. As of today. I researched lentil pudding recipes and have successfully managed to adapt one into porridge. Just be aware it tastes disgusting when reheated. You have been warned.

Indian-inspired Lentil Porridge

1/2 cup lentils

1-2T butter or ghee for toasting (optional)

1/4 c brown sugar

1/2 can of evaporated milk
185 ml milk or water
Pinch salt

1/4 tsp cardamom
Tiny Pinch nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cinnamon or few strands saffron

(optional)

Cashews/raisins or grapes

dates, pitted and halved

Dried apricots, halved

almonds, chopped

green pistachios, chopped

Cream, condensed milk or ghee to top

2 teaspoons rose water to top

Optional: soak lentils for 15 minutes, drain, then toast lentils, nuts and fruit.

Put all ingredients except fruit into slow cooker with sugar and milk- cook til soft.
Blend if you like it smooth. I recommend this if you are using old lentils. Also, if you are blending, add your nuts after blending.

If adding fruit, add it in the last 30 mins of cooking to prevent disintegration.

Top with rosewater, ghee, dried fruit or just leave plain!

For a list of different types of lentils, I have stolen a list and put it below:

Brown/Spanish pardina
Puy/French green (dark speckled blue-green)
Green
Yellow/tan lentils (red inside)
Eston Green (Small green)
Richlea (medium green)
Laird (large green)
Petite Golden (decorticated lentils)
Masoor (brown-skinned lentils which are orange inside)
Macachiados (big Mexican yellow lentils)

Black lentils are beans. Go figure.