Fall Harvest Wheat Berries with Ricotta and Honey

This dish is adapted from a Splendid Table recipe for a traditional Italian dish called Cuccia. Here pomegranate seeds and sliced and cooked apples replace the traditional dried fruit. Cooked wheat berries have a great chewy texture and hearty flavor, cook a large batch of wheat berries and use some for a savory salad or soup recipe and some for this tasty dessert.

Ingredients

About 2 cups cooked wheat berries (about 2/3 cup dried)

Seeds from one pomegranate

2 apples, diced

1/4 cup apple juice

Pinch of cinnamon or apple pie spice

1 1/2 cups high-quality whole-milk ricotta

Honey to taste

Directions

Rinse wheat berries in a large bowl of water, swishing around so any husks or loose debris floats to the top. Skim off husks and drain. Bring a medium pot of water to a low boil and add wheat berries and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 45-60 minutes until they have opened (a bit likely barley) and are tender but chewy. Drain and set aside to cool. While wheat berries are cooking prep fruit mixture. Separate pomegranate seeds and remove and membranes. Peel apples (if desired) and cut into a small dice. Heat the apple juice and about 1 tablespoon of honey along with the spices and add apples once honey is dissolved. Cook until tender and about 1/2 of the liquid has evaporated. Let cool then mix with pomegranate seeds. Stir wheat berries together with the ricotta and then add the fruit mixture and stir together or layer the fruit mixture over the wheat in individual bowls. Serve for breakfast or dessert.

Submitted by Sara Jones, Tucson CSA