Friday, March 14, 2014

Wheat Berry Risotto






Ever heard of Watson?
I mean, forget Sherlock Holmes.
I'm talking about Watson the super computer who caused sensation when winning Jeopardy in 2011.
Now Watson is cooking.
This super culinary brain has access to two huge different databases - one with innumerable already existing dishes another one compiling flavor compounds and a huge variation of ingredients.
Watson creates out of this its own Frankenstein like kitchen.
The whole project is called Cognitive Cooking and is blending suggestions from Twitter and Watson's huge database to scour for innovative flavor combinations.
Indian Tumeric Paella anyone?
The huge advantage is that nobody can oblige Watson to eat it's own creations. Lucky guy.
Anyhow, the whole project sounds like fun and who knows - maybe a new Super Food Blogger is born. As the saying goes: competition is good for business :)
Thank heavens most of us are still into good old fashioned cooking and recipe creating and we are even brave enough to try our own creations before serving it to others.
Today I would like to share with you a delicious "Wheat Berry Risotto".
No typo, it's prepared like a Risotto but instead of rice you use wheat.
Wheat berries are loaded with nutrients and fiber and very tasty.
Hope you enjoy this dish as we did with a group of friends.

You need:

2 cups of wheat berries, washed and previously soaked in water for about 1hour
2 spoonful of extra virgin olive oil
2 spoonful of butter at room temperature
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 spoonful of yellow chili (ajii amarillo), deveined, sheets removed and blended in the mixer with a bit of water until creamy.
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup of dry white wine
3 cups of home made or low sodium store bought vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup of heavy cream 
3/4 cups of shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup of firm white cheese, diced
Salt end freshly ground pepper
chopped parsley for decoration


Method:
Wash the wheat and soak for about one hour in cold water



In a large pot, add vegetable or chicken stock and the 2 cups of water (wheat berries should be covered by the liquid)
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer  and cook at low heat stirring occasionally until the liquid is absorbed. Add more liquid if necessary and wheat berries are done.  Set apart.

Heat the olive oil and 1 spoonful of butter in a large pot.

Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent.

Apart, bring peas in hot water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until cooked al dente.

Add the chili cream to the onion and garlic mixture and stir until ingredients blend well together.


Add the wine and bring the mixture  to a boil for about 2 minutes.



Add the wheat berries and Thyme and mix well with the other ingredients.



Add the heavy cream, stir in.




Add Parmesan and 1 spoonful of butter, mix well.


Stir in peas.


Cook at low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Than add half of the diced white cheese.
Stir until all ingredients have blend in well.
Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Decorate with the rest of the white cheese and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley.
Serve immediately.




 Serves 6 to 8.
Enjoy!

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75 comments:

  1. Oh wow Daniela, that looks scrumptious! Can I come over for dinner? ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. With pleasure Mike, be our guest :)
      Have a great weekend ahead and thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  2. Oooh Daniela! I've only had wheat berries in salads, I am so making this...and I love the sweet peas and spicy chilies in this creamy risotto! Yum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kari,
      Thanks so much for this sweet feedback, hope you will enjoy your wheat berry risotto!

      Delete
  3. I've never had wheat berries prepared this way. It looks really good and flavorful from the chile.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Amy,
      when I first ate this "risotto", it was such a pleasant surprise that I wanted to share it.
      Have a great weekend!

      Delete
  4. So creamy and delicious! I like that you used wheat berries in this Italian classic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Angie, glad to hear that you liked the post!
      Cheers.

      Delete
  5. Daniela, Weizenbeeren sind unglaublich lecker und gesund - ich habe schon lange kein Rezept mehr für Weizenbeeren gesehen. Ich mache immer einen Salat damit aber dein Weizenbeeren-Risotto hört sich einfach toll an - ein wunderbares Rezept, dass mich neugierig macht!
    Ich wünsche euch ein wunderschönes Wochenende!
    Ganz liebe Grüße aus Bonn,
    Andrea

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vielen Dank liebe Andrea, freu mich sehr, daß Dir diese Art Weizen zu zubereiten gefallen hat!
      Auch für mich war's eine Überraschung als ich es das erste Mal probiert habe,
      und es hat uns allen wunderbar geschmeckt.
      Ganz liebe Grüße aus Lima
      Daniela

      Delete
  6. I hadn't heard that Watson (the computer) was cooking. Fun news! And this wheat berry risotto is fun news, too. Great recipe, and very creative. I like this, a lot. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi John,
      it seems that Watson is THE new, highly competitive chef in the food
      industry :)
      Glad to hear that you enjoyed this version of preparing Wheat Berries.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  7. Delicious looking Wheat Berry Risotto! I've never actually cooked risotto before. Looks super delicious and amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sammie,
      Thank you so much for your great feedback!

      Delete
  8. What a delicious variation on risotto! I think it sounds wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I do enjoy a good risotto and I especially like some of these twists that are now popular such as your wheat berry version, but I also enjoy a barley base too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. With barely it must taste fantastic too. I'm going to try out this one.
      Thanks for the inspiration!

      Delete
  10. I love this idea!! I've never seen a risotto like this - it looks so yummy :) Risotto is one of my favorite side dishes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ashley,
      we too ( and I include the meat fans in our family) love risotto and this version turned out to be a hit!

      Delete
  11. A great idea! This risotto must taste wonderful.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  12. wow, looks delicious, 'we asian used to amde dessert with wheat berry...
    this savoury risotto sounds delicious and irresistable!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Dedy,
      dessert with wheat berries sounds fantastic.
      Must try this out, thanks for the inspiration!

      Delete
  13. It looks and sounds fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I hadn't heard of Watson cooking. That sounds so interesting! And love this spin on the classic : )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Natalie,
      when I first tried it, it was a surprise to me too and turned out to be very good :)

      Delete
  15. I absolutely love whole grains and the wheat berry risotto sounds perfect. Thanks for the step by step tutorial.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Taruna,
      so glad to hear that you enjoyed this wheat berry preparation with a twist.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  16. Scrumptious risotto! I love wheat berry... cooking it risotto-style is a fantastic idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Daniela, appreciate your kind feedback very much!

      Delete
  17. Hi Daniela, something new to me, interesting recipes. But it look very inviting and delicious. Not sure if I can find wheat berries at the supermarket. ^-^ The green pea is one of my favorite. Nice presentation.

    Have a nice day, regards. Hugs to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Amelia,
      well I thought sometimes it's nice to have a classic with a twist :)
      If you can't find wheat berries at the SM it works very well with Quinoa too.
      Have a wonderful week ahead ,hugs to you

      Delete
  18. 1. This looks and sounds super-delicious and 2. I've never heard of Watson, but that sounds so cool!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I find this dish absolutely fascinating - and the Watson thing is just amazing and interesting. Love the step by step photos too Daniela - have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tricia,
      So glad to hear that you enjoyed the post & Watson :)
      Cheers.

      Delete
  20. This looks so creamy and delicious, Daniela! I love the idea of wheat berries instead of rice.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Daniela, this is an inspired idea - very creative and it sounds fantastic. Something I will definitely give a try!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Donalyn, hope you will enjoy the " Wheatotto" as much as we did.

      Delete
  22. I've made risotto with farro but never wheat berries. This looks wonderful and so much healthier!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I actually have wheat berries in the pantry. Made them once and hubby did not like their chewiness. However, he may like them like this. I know I would!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Abbe,
      My husband isn't a big grain fan either. Never the less he enjoyed this wheat berry risotto, much to my surprise, a lot.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  24. Hi Daniela, this is so good and healthy. Tempting and irresistible. Will definitely love to try this if I can get hold of wheat berries. Warmest regards and cheers :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Ivy, I really appreciate your great feedback and hope you can get hold of wheat berries in your place!

      Delete
  25. That looks great Daniela! I've made a barley risotto before but this one has a lot more going on, just wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nazneen,
      so glad to hear that you enjoyed the post!
      Thanks for s topping by!

      Delete
  26. I love wheat berries and this risotto looks delicious...creamy and exploding with all great flavors...yum!
    Thanks for this awesome recipe...hope you are having a wonderful week :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Juliana,
      if you like wheat berries I'm sure you are going to enjoy this risotto.
      Have a great day!

      Delete
  27. Never heard of Watson but he would not have come up with this great twist on the risotto. Very creative idea and looks wonderful too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Evelyn,
      thanks for this sweet comment, glad to hear that you think Watson is no competition for us bloggers :)
      Cheers.

      Delete
  28. Never heard of Watson but he would not have come up with this great twist on the risotto. Very creative idea and looks wonderful too.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I have only had risotto once and it was at some restaurant. I don't think they made it properly or god knows what the problem was... but it was not my cup of tea. I think I should give risotto a second chance coz yours looks pretty darn good :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Abeer,
      hope with this dish the reputation of risotto will recover its splendor :)
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  30. Hola Daniela, como estamos, perdón por la tardanza pero he estado un poco apartada por salud pero ya estamos aquí con mas energía , y me encuentro con este plato de risotto que me encanta yo suelo hacerlo de setas pero este de ve delicioso así que con tu permiso tomo nota, el proximo que haga es este muchas gracias, espero que sigas bien y viajando mucho, un saludo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hola Conchi,
      me alegra mucho escuchar de ti y saber que ya te has recuperada y estas llena de energia nuevamente!
      Tu risotto con setas de pera suena delicioso, mmh!

      Delete
  31. I love making risotto with non-traditional grains. Wheatberries must give such a nice chew!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Joanne,
      so glad to hear that you enjoyed the post about this risotto with a twist!

      Delete
  32. This sounds like a great alternative to the regular risotto. .Love how creamy it is...delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  33. I think I would enjoy both the taste and texture of your wheat berry and pea risotto.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Karen,
      glad to receive your kind feedback!
      I'm sure you would enjoy this risotto with a twist.

      Delete
  34. I think I would enjoy both the taste and texture of your wheat berry and pea risotto…it sounds very good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Karen,
      for sure you would enjoy it.
      Have a great weekend ahead!

      Delete
  35. And to think my last purchase of wheat berries yielded nothing nearly as exciting as this!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Ooh Daniela, this looks so creamy and delicious! Thanks for sharing this great recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kitty,
      thank you for your kind feedback, so glad to hear that you enjoyed the post!

      Delete

 
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