Warm Grains: Spelt Berries with Mushrooms
It's almost Spring! So I felt like I should take advantage of the spelt berries that I had picked up at the Union Square greenmarket the other day and the mushrooms and onions that I picked up today. I've always liked risotto and this is a variation on a basic risotto recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cups of Spelt Berries (I picked mine up at the Greenmarket Grains stand, Lakeview Organic Grains, at the Union Square GreenMarket)
Mushrooms (about 1 container of any kind of mushroom you favor)
1-2 Tb of butter
1 1/2 cups white wine
3-4 cups hot vegetable broth/chicken broth (or even hot water)
1/2 an onion (you can use more depending upon how much you like onions)
Parsley to taste
Pecorino Romano cheese
Instructions:
I soaked the spelt berries for about 3-4 hours on my countertop in a pot with water (You can soak the spelt berries overnight as well as this will speed up the cooking process and you'll have less time on the stove, once cooking begins).
Add about 1-2 Tb of butter and chop up about 1/2 of the onion and all mushrooms in a pot stirring every so often (simmer on low heat until the onions become translucent and the mushrooms shrink in size). Add the spelt berries to the mushrooms and onions and add the wine. Bring the pot to a low boil. You'll need to stir the mixture every so often so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot but this isn't as often as risotto (which requires you to constantly stir for well over an hour- definitely a good arm workout!)
Now, you have the spelt berries, mushrooms, onions, and wine at a low boil. The wine will cook down fairly quickly. As you stir the mixture, you'll want to keep adding hot stock or water (if you add hot stock/water to the pot, it's easier and quicker for the spelt berries to cook). You'll continue doing this until the spelt berries are fully cooked (with any type of rice or grain, the actual grains will expand so you'll start to notice that in the process). It usually takes about an hour overall or until the spelt berries have absorbed the flavors and are soft in texture.
Note: The spelt berries are actually going to be heartier than a risotto because of it's unique nutty taste and texture. It's a really flavorful grain that only makes a mock risotto better!
Add fresh pecorino romano cheese on top and/or mix in after it's fully cooked through and you'll have a creamy addition to an already amazing meal. Enjoy and let me know if you added any variations!