Sprouted Wheat Berry Recipes

Sprouted Wheat Berry Salad - Mediterranean Style

St. Ignatius was bishop of Antioch, the Syrian city on the Mediterranean. A Mediterranean style salad using the wheat berries is a fitting feast day side dish or lunch. Directions for sprouting wheat berries shared in this previous post.

1 cup sprouted wheat berries 

1/2 cup kalamata olives (sliced) 

1/4 pine nuts 1/4 cup feta (grated) 

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (diced)

1/8 cup fresh basil (chopped)

1 T. olive oil 

1 t. balsamic vinegar

You can either use sprouted wheat berries raw or cook them. The tastes and textures vary slightly depending on how you use them - cooked slightly sweeter and a little chewier, raw more nutty flavor and slightly crisper. Both ways are good. If you cook wheat berries, put in saucepan with water to cover. Allow to boil. Take off heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Drain and cool.

To make the salad simply mix all ingredients together in bowl. Chill and serve. Make approx. 4 servings. 

Sprouted Wheat Berry Bread Stick Croziers

Bread is one of the common uses of sprouted wheat berries. It can be made solely using the wheat berries ground or a combination of wheat berries chopped and wheat flour. If using only sprouted berries, they should be barely sprouted (about 48 hrs.) and not have developed the 1/4 inch tail. If chopped and added to a bread dough with flour can be more sprouted.

The staff or crosier is a common symbol of bishops, and since St. Ignatius was bishop of Antioch, following St. Peter a fun idea is to make crozier shaped bread sticks.

1 1/2 T yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 t. salt
2 T honey
1 egg
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
3 -3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 - 3/4 cup sprouted wheat berries (chopped)

Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup water and, when dissolved, add remaining 3/4 cup water, oil, salt, honey, and egg. Beat smooth with wooden spoon. Beat in dry milk and 2 cups flour and wheat berries, then gradually mix in remaining flour until it is completely absorbed into dough. Dough will be somewhat sticky.

Cover and rest for 15 minutes. Shape as desired and let rise 1 hour.

For Bread Sticks: use refrigerated dough because it is easier to handle. Pinch off about 3 tablespoons dough or a 3-inch ball and roll into a log about 10 inches long and just under 1/2 inch around. curve end to shape into crozier. Place on oiled baking sheet. Cover and let rise about 1 hour. Bake for 10-12 minutes

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Sprouting Wheat - Getting Ready for St. Ignatius of Antioch

Catholic Culture's Liturgical Year website: 
St. Ignatius is one of the great bishops of the early Church. He was the successor of St. Peter as Bishop of Antioch. He was condemned to death by wild beasts during the Emperor Trajan's persecution. On his way to Rome, he wrote seven magnificent letters, which we still have today, concerning the Person of Christ, his love for Christ, his desire for martyrdom and on the constitution of the Church and Christian life. His sentiments before his approaching martyrdom are summed in his word in the Communion antiphon, "I am the wheat of Christ, ground by the teeth of beasts to become pure bread."

Wheat berries are a great visualization of this quote from St. Ignatius.  Sprouted wheat berries can be included in many dishes and are very nutritious, so would be a nice option for his feast day, October 17.

Sprouting wheat berries is easy, but you need to think ahead a little. You need a few days to get them to sprout so they will be ready to eat or use in recipes on St. Ignatius' feast. So if you want to join in and start now, you will need:

• wheat berries
• mason jar(s)
• cheesecloth
• water

Fill a mason jar about 1/3 full of dried wheat berries (to allow for expansion). Rinse wheat berries and drain. Refill jar with fresh water so that it is about an inch above or twice as high as the berries. Cover with cheese cloth and jar ring (or rubber band). Let sit for at least 12 hours. After it has sat, pour out water and rinse berries thoroughly. After jar is drained well, place on side, so seeds spread out for better air flow. A couple times a day rinse with luke warm water and drain berries and place jar on side again. Berries should sprout to 1/4 inch in 2-4 days. Once sprouted they are ready for use. To keep, refrigerate them. Will keep about 1 week. 

Notes:
~Simple uses for sprouted berries: sprinkle over yogurt, mix into salads as topping, put into sandwiches, add to soups or stir fry.
~Recipe ideas to follow. 
~Would be fitting for Easter season, too. Sprouting wheat symbolizes the Paschal mystery. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24)


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Cuccia - St. Lucy Wheat

Cuccia is a traditional cooked wheat dish, served only on St. Lucy's day in Sicilian households. Santa Lucia is honored in every town in Sicily. On her feast day they observe a “no pasta, no bread” rule and cuccia is made in all the towns. The tradition comes from a time when during a famine, the people of Syracuse prayed for the intercession of St. Lucy. A ship arrived laden with grain. People were so eager to eat that they boiled the wheat without waiting for it to be ground and ate it simply dressed with olive oil. This was the first cuccia. 

Cuccia can be made so that it's sweet or savory. In Syracuse chickpeas and fava beans were added, and sweet cuccia is made by adding honey and sometimes chocolate. Each town makes it in its own way, and families have different variations as well. The different versions of cuccia can be served through the day at different meals. 

To make cuccia, obtain hard winter wheat from a health food store. Soak the grain in cold water for 24 hours (or at least overnight) and rinse. Cover wheat with water about four inches over the top, with a little oil or butter and pinch of salt. Bring to boil, turn down heat to medium, stir often with wooden spoon. Add boiling water as needed to keep from scorching. Cook until wheat pops open and insides are soft. Drain excess water if needed. It can be served cold or warm, plain or with milk or cream like oatmeal and sweetened with honey, dried fruit, or chocolate bits for breakfast or dessert. Some versions include ricotta. Chick peas, lentils or onions might be added for a savory fare at other meals. This Sicilian cooking website includes several of the variations of cuccia depending on your preference. 

Relying on Your goodness, O God, we humbly ask you, by the intercession of your servant, Saint Lucy, to give perfect vision to our eyes, that we may serve for your greater honor and glory. And we pray for the salvation of our souls in this world, that we may come to the enjoyment of the unfailing light of the Lamb of God in heaven. 

St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, hear our prayers and answer our petitions. 

Amen.

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Living Easter Grass

Bring a little springtime into your kitchen.

With Easter quickly approaching we have just about the perfect amount of time (7-10 days) to grow a living basket of Easter grass. Wheat berries (or rye berries) from the pantry are used for this project. Plant them and in about a week you’ll have a lovely and living basket. It makes a beautiful center piece with a few colored eggs inside. Don’t forget the health benefits of wheatgrass – which could be juiced or blended into a smoothie after the celebration. Wheatgrass berries are famous for their medicinal and nutritional benefits. They are an excellent source of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur, cobalt and zinc.

If you don’t normally keep wheat berries on hand, you can purchase them at most health food stores. To prepare your basket(s), first, rinse the seeds. Then soak them in water for 6-12 hours (until slightly sprouted – just opening). Choose a container (basket, tray, flower pot). If you choose a basket cut a piece of cellophane or plastic wrap large enough to line the plus stick out over the top edge by about one inch (this will keep it from getting soil or water all over). After the wheat grass seeds have sprouted, line the bottom of your growing container/basket with approx. 2 inches of potting soil (or vermiculite mixed with soil). Drain and rinse seeds and spread them over the soil in a single layer, with seeds close but not overlapping. Cover with a very light layer of soil. Lightly water the seeds with a spray bottle.

Place basket or container in a warm area but not in direct sunlight. Cover it with newspaper or paper towel. Each day mist the seeds with water. Do not use too much water – just keep moist. Remove the newspaper once the leaves start to sprout (usually a couple of days). Watch them grow. In about a week you’ll have several inches of lovely green Easter grass.

In researching I found several cutlures where setting out seeds to sprout before Easter was a common tradition. Italy, Greece, Finland are mentioned. The symbol of a seed bringing forth new life and the image it calls to mind of the death and resurrection make this a timely project for the Easter season.


Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. ~John 12:24

Update: Day 4

Update Day 7

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