Recipes using spelt berries

[pombetom]

Dear Chowhounders,

We received some spelt berries in our CSA a few weeks ago. Any suggestions for cooking with them?

Many thanks.

[Delucacheesemonger]

Search for recipes for farro, the Italian word for them and a zillion come up. Make a risotto type dish with them called a farrato. It id fabulous

[paulj]

I get the impression (largely from cooking times) that farro is often partially peeled.

[Delucacheesemonger]

l treat all farro and spelt the same. soak overnight and they are good to go.
The one l prefer, but getting hard to find, and expensive is Farro en chicchi, come in brown burlap bag. There are many variants of Italian farro, different strains, and do behave differently when cooked,mostly in textural variations. Farro en chicchi is almost all a medium brown color, not the piebald appearance of most others. Worth finding.

[blinknoodle]

Just substitute spelt berries for wheat berries in recipe. I find they pair well with a citrus dressing. I like mine with dried cranberries and spinach with a citrus dressing. I've also added apple, wild rice, even kohlrabi on occasion.

If you like pomegranate, I made a delicious pomegranate-roasted veggie and wheat berry salad. Simple and easy!

You can also put them into soups. Wolfert has a wheat berrry and chickpea soup with tarragon that has me intrigued.

Enjoy your spelt berries!

[goodhealthgourmet]

various threads with wheat berry recipes & ideas:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/635345
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/693527
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/751867#6119164
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/602049
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/588953
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/276411
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/587128

you can use them in any recipe that calls for whole wheat berries, barley, or steel-cut oats...in fact, they make a terrific breakfast porridge.

[Zeldog]

Look up recipes for farro or cracked wheat and substitute spelt. On of the simplest is a salad with chopped onion, bell pepper, and parsley dressed with good olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Farro and lentils play together nicely, so spelt should as well. Cooking time may be an issue, since your CSA spelt may not be as dry store bought. But it's not like rice; you can cook it in excess water until it has the texture you like and then toss it into a collander. So keep an eye on it.

[paulj]

Wheat berries can require a hour or more to cook. Grains with some of the bran removed take less time. I'd suggest cooking the grain in the evening or other time when time is not an issue. You can dress it for a salad or other use later.