cream of wheat - non-cereal uses?

[syee730]

I have a large amount of 10-minute cream of wheat (and wheatena) that I no longer want to eat as breakfast cereal. Any suggestions on other ways to use it? (Quick bread maybe?)

[monavano]

I love farina-- grew up on it.
I make lovely farina dumpling with about equal parts of farina and grated cheese, along with an egg and a pinch of baking powder.
I float them in chicken soup after cooking them in simmering water.

[eatwellgardens]

I make a great french toast with the bread from the recipe suggested below from mjbcoffee.

[joannaf]

I know a lot of surfers (in Barbados) drink a thickened, warm milkshake composed primarily of Cream of Wheat with coconut milk, sweetened with sugar or honey, and spices (like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice....). It's a real energy boost after a few hours of hitting the waves.

[bushwickgirl]

Mm, I'll have to keep that in mind next time I hit the waves! Ah, just kidding, never much high surf on our beaches here in Brooklyn. but it does sound good, maybe more for a cold winter's day warm up.

[mhays]

FYI: Cream of Wheat and Farina are not the same thing as semolina, although in many cases you can get away with substituting it. They are made from two different kinds of wheat: farina is made from the softer wheats which we use to make flour, and semolina is made only from durum flour, which is higher in protein. You can sub them, but keep in mind the end products might not act the same.

That being said, I made Rava Dosa (with oatmeal added) with it: http://quipstravailsandbraisedoxtails...

[bushwickgirl]

Thanks for that link, I might give it a try; I happen to have Cream of Wheat, oatmeal and baby rice cereal (I bought it in an emergency for a kitten I was weaning) in my cabinet right now.

[italia84]

there's a burmese restaurant near our house that does a cream of wheat dessert called Shweji. It's a type of custard. I've never made it, but it's probably not a hard one.

[Cynsa]

This is an Indian cream of wheat sweet: saute one cup of melted ghee and one cup of cream of wheat until the cream of wheat takes on some color on medium to low heat. Add three cups of hot milk, saffron, cardamom and almonds. Stir in 1-1/2 cups of sugar and a handful of raisins. Continue to cook on low heat, stirring until it thickens.

[lilgi]

My roommate in college was Indian and used to make this. I can't eat most Indian food but this was delicious! She knew I liked it and used to make it for me all the time (sans raisins)...I think I gained a few pounds from it :)

[chefj]

Another Indian dish but spicy and savory Upma.
http://www.indianfoodforever.com/indi...

[BamiaWruz]

There is basbousa which is an egyptian or middle eastern dessert, it's a dense samolina cake that is drenched with syrup while it's still hot to absorb it all and become a sweet and sticky yummy delight.
Also I use it to make a cheesy filling (adding a white cheese like feta) to stuff my Atayef (small yeast pancakes) that are fried and submurged in the sweet syrup too. The same filling can be used in Kunaffa the buttery crispy hair like pasta dessert.

I adore the stuff, I'll make dumplings with it, adding it to soft boiled mashed potatoes with lots of parsley, an egg and a bit of flour, these dumplings are dropped in a hot broth to make a yummy soup. Green onions can be used too with parsley.

Suji halwa is a pakistani/indian dessert which is one of my favourites, it is basically browning the samolina in butter and then adding liquid and sugar until it comes together, some people make it different ways.

Also samolina comes in different textures, there is the super fine almost ground to a flour like powder that is used in making ma'moul pastry cookies ..see here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adventuressheart/4870398111/in/set-72157594454470199/
Basbousa here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adventuressheart/4232949646/in/set-72157594454470199/
atayef: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adventur...

[Cheese Boy]

Add some cooked cream of wheat to your mac and cheese recipe.

[chefj]

Makes a great breading for fried seafood.

[rochelle_w]

Last year I came to this posting because *I*, too, have excess Farina given me and wanted to know other uses for it. Since then, on my own, I discovered two great uses for it.

While making bread rolls in my bread machine, I was out of the 1/3 cup of wheat bran requested in the recipe I was making for my company potluck. I substituted 1/3 cup of Farina. My coworkers and I loved the rolls!!

When making pancakes from scratch, for every cup of flour I use, I add about a tablespoon of Farina. This gives it a nice texture. It browns better, too.

[Val]

Star Anise and Coriander Cake by epicurious...so different and what great flavors!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[mjbcoffee]

I have a recipe for bread that our family loves! It is from The Bread Machine Cookbook by Donna German - Wonderful Book!

Cream of Wheat Bread

milk 1 1/3
margarine/butter 5 Tbs.
eggs 1 1/2
sugar 2 2/3 Tbs
salt 2 1/2 tsp.
gluten, optional 2 Tbs.
bread flour 2 2/3 Cups
cream of wheat 1 1/3 Cups
yeast 2 1/2 tsp.

Make it like you would basic bread. It had a wonderful texture.

[fara]

My grandmother makes a great chicken soup that is very easy with farina "noodles." She's originally from Bari and calls it "moll n'ban."
Take chicken breast, carrots, garlic, olive oil, make soup.
For the "noodles," just mix farina, egg, finely chopped parsley, and parmesan cheese. Shred into hot soup with a cheese grater just before removing from heat.
top with more parmesan cheese if desired.

[pearlD]

My mother used to make Cream of Wheat Cereal but it was refrigerated and used the next day ( usually Sunday dinner). It was put in with the Beef Roast for the last 15 or 20 minutes and served hot with either the 'drippings' or with a gravy made from the drippings. It was probably really unhealthy but we loved it!

[greygarious]

There is (or was) a dumpling recipe on the side of the box, similar to your "noodles" (which sound more like spaetzle to me), but plopped into simmering soup by heaping teaspoons. They float to the top when done. I have it somewhere - believe it was egg, milk, farina, and parsley.

[bushwickgirl]

Yes, I have that Cream of Wheat box recipe and it does include parsley. Here's a similar one, from poster Christina Mason:

Farina Dumplings
-1/8 Liter milk (approx. 1/2 c.)
-1 knob butter, about 1 tablespoon or to taste
-salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste
-1-2 eggs (likely only 1 if using XL eggs)
-50 g semolina farina (approx.1/3 c./2 oz) Cream of Wheat

Bring the milk, butter, and spices to a simmer, remove from the heat, slowly stir in the farina. Stir it up into a ball, and then return to the heat for a minute. Pour the dough into a bowl and mix in the eggs one at a time.

With a wet teaspoon, drop small dumplings into boiling salt water or broth and cook until done. Good for chicken soup.

And yet another version of gnocchi, similar to cimui's link above:

Farina Dumplings (Gnocchi alla Romana)
3 cups milk
1 cup farina or semolina
2 beaten eggs
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Dash of pepper
1/4 cup butter for topping
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat milk to scald. Reduce heat. Slowly stir in farina and cook until thick, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in eggs, 2 tablespoons butter, salt and pepper . Beat until smooth. Spread in a greased 13 x 9-inch pan. Cool.

Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours until firm.

Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares or circles. Place overlapping in an ungreased dish. Dot with 1/4 cup butter. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. You can brown a little more under the broiler, if needed.

[gumbost]

@ fara: My grandmother used to make the same soup and I thought that the name "molanban" or "mollanbond" was made up. Her husband was from Bari! I was just having an email exchange with my family about this soup. So great to see this here. We also make hot peppers with garlic in olive oil and call it "gumbost" have you ever heard of such a thing? we can't figure out wher eit came form. have asked when in italy, googled the whole bit. let me know! thanks!

[heatherkay]

I use farina all the time as a breading for chops or fish or chicken breasts. It's a little finer than cornmeal and it seems to stick to the meat better. Maybe because the particles are flatter? Anyway, I'm working through a box of Cream of Wheat that my husband bought on a nostalgic impulse -- one cutlet at a time.

[Emme]

Similarly, I use it as a binder in meatballs or meatloaf.

[another_adam]

You could make a nice uppuma with chillis and onions and spices--that's also normally eaten as a breakfast, but maybe sufficiently different from the way you've been eating it to make it seem new? (Or, since it's spicy, you could serve it for dinner :) )

[cimui]

Yeah, upma/uppama/oopma/uupma is great for dinner. I don't think it's at all cream of wheat-like at all, since you're toasting / frying the farina in the pan before you add water and the texture comes out entirely different, especially with the fried black mustard seed and cashews. I put all sorts of non-traditional veggies in mine (broccoli, tri-color peppers), as well as capsicum, peas and carrots.

[Ora]

I made this recently--was pretty good.

Farina Bread

3/4 c. farina (malt-o-milk or cream of wheat, which will taste different but works well)
3/4 c. unbleached flour
2 t. baking powder
1 c. buttermilk
2 tbsp. melted butter (or canola oil, if you prefer)
1 large egg
1 tbsp. bacon drippings or butter
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine farina, flour, and baking powder in a bowl, making a well in the center. In another bowl, whisk the egg and butter or oil, then whisk in the buttermilk. Pour bacon drippings or place a tbsp. butter in an 8" cast iron skillet (you can use 9" but it will bake more quickly and be crisper, which you might like!) Place the skillet in the preheated oven.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring just until moistened. Pour into hot skillet and bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Don't overbake--it should still be somewhat moist and springy in the center, though the edges may draw from the pan. Serve hot in wedges.

[amyzan]

I have that recipe! We use it as an alternative to cornbread and really like it. Where'd you find it? I wish I could recall, I think it was online several years ago?

[Laura D.]

Cimui,
I have 2 1/2 minute cook time cream of wheat as opposed to the 10 minute cook time cream of wheat listed by the original poster...do you think that would work for the Gnocchi Romana Recipe? The recipe that I have for that dishes involves yellow cornmeal, but I'll happily substitute the cream of wheat that I have if I'm able. Thanks!

[cimui]

Should be just fine, Laura. Hope it's not too late for you.

[Laura D.]

Not too late at all as I wasn't make the gnocchi right away anyway. Thanks!

[cimui]

Upma is great: http://www.indiaexpress.com/cooking/semolina_upama.html or http://www.indianfoodforever.com/indian-breakfast/upma.html (rava is cream of wheat

)

There's Egyptian semolina cake: http://www.touregypt.net/recipes/recipeweek06282004.htm

Or Greek semolina cake:
http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/europe/greek/revani01.html

Or Italian semolina cake: http://www.italianmade.com/recipes/recipe474.cfm

Or savory semolina pancake: http://www.mumbai-masala.com/otherdelights/pancake.html

Or Burmese semolina pudding: http://www.asianonlinerecipes.com/desserts/semolina-pudding.php

Or semolina gnocchi: http://www.e-rcps.com/pasta/rcp/gnocc...

[paulj]

Classic Joy of Cooking has a recipe in the desert section for 'Farina pudding' - essentially cream of wheat enriched with sugar, butter, egg yokes and whipped egg whites. Though we usually eat that for breakfast.

Indian cooking makes some deserts from cream of wheat (farina). One consists of farina and fresh cheese balls poached in syrup.

paulj

[Lisbet]

A wonderful way to encourage a child, that is a poor eater, to eat something really nourishing! My Mom used to also top the pudding with her homemade Raspberry Sauce.

[pine time]

Suji (cream of wheat/farina/rava, etc) is used in rasgullas. Separate milk curds & whey. Knead in suji, form into balls, cook in 2 levels of simple sugar (less sugar 1st/more sugar later). Mr Pine asks for this instead of a birthday cake.