The Simple Art of Vegetarian Cooking by Martha-Rose Shulman

Author:Martha-Rose Shulman
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Publisher: Rodale
Published: 2014-01-04T17:00:00+00:00

Farro, Spelt, and Kamut

MAKES 3 CUPS FARRO OR SPELT, 2½ CUPS KAMUT

There are several varieties of whole-grain wheat available in natural foods stores and online. In addition to wheat berries from North American wheat, it’s now easy to get hold of ancient strains—farro, spelt, and Kamut. There is some argument in the food community about whether or not spelt and farro are exactly the same botanical strain of wheat. From my point of view, it doesn’t really matter, as I find them to be interchangeable in cooking. They’re long-cooking, nutty-tasting, chewy, hearty grains that contribute to a very satisfying dinner in a bowl.

Deborah Madison tells us in her book Vegetable Literacy that the ancient varieties of wheat have fewer chromosomes and lower levels of gluten proteins than the modern wheat that is the source of flour in the United States. People with full-blown celiac disease cannot tolerate even a little bit of gluten, but some people with mild gluten (or wheat) intolerance do better with these grains, as well as with barley, which also contains gluten and is another ancient grain. The ancient varieties of wheat have a good nutritional profile, better than that of modern wheat. Kamut, for example, is higher in protein than many whole grains.

Wheat berries of all kinds will cook faster and will be softer if you soak them before cooking. You can cover them with boiling water and soak them for an hour, or you can soak them overnight in water from the tap. It’s important to cook wheat berries until they begin to splay, or burst at one end. That way they’ll absorb the flavors of whatever you’re serving them with and they’ll be easier to chew and digest.

1 cup wheat berries (any variety: farro, spelt, Kamut)

Boiling water

1 quart water

¾ to 1 teaspoon salt

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