"W" is for Wheat (and Wakita)

This week we are driving to Wakita, Oklahoma, to visit the ancestral home of my in-laws. Driving through eastern Colorado, Kansas, and down into Oklahoma, there can be no doubt that wheat is our country's favorite grain.
Wheat has been an essential crop for millennia. Throughout Israel, Egypt and parts of Mesopotamia two species of wheat, emmer and einkorn, were, along with barley, the first cereals to be cultivated by man. These grains, as well as four legumes and flax, are known as Neolithic founder crops.
 
Grains of wild emmer wheat dating to 17,000 BC have been found at Ohalo II, an archeological site on the southern shores of the Sea of Galilee. Domesticated emmer has been dated to 7700 BC, from a site south of Damascus, Tel Aswad.
 
Today wheat is cultivated worldwide, and it is the second largest cereal crop, just behind corn. The wheat seed contains an outer husk, called the bran, a reproductive seed called the germ, and the protein rich center called the endosperm. Raw wheat seeds are known as whole wheat, which is typically powdered into flour. It is also available with the bran removed as cracked wheat or bulghur. White flour is made by removing the outer bran and the germ, and grinding only the endosperm.
 
We eat a lot of wheat is this country. But we eat it in the form of highly refined flour. Mixed with refined sugars and hydrogenated oils, it is no longer recognizable as grain. The nutrients are gone, and it does more harm than good nutritionally. Even though we grow it here, whole grain is our nation's most under-utilized food.
 
Add more whole grains to your diet with this delicious dish. Serve it on the side, our add some fresh vegetables and beans for a satisfying meal.
 
The timing is the trick to this recipe, because each grain requires a different cooking time.
 

Mixed Grain Pilaf

INGREDIENTS

3 TB. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB. sesame seeds
[1/4] cup wild rice
[1/4] cup barley
[1/2] tsp. kosher salt
3 cups chicken broth
[1/4] cup brown rice
[1/4] cup cracked wheat

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and cook until tender. Add sesame seeds, wild rice, barley, and cook 5-10 minutes, stirring, until toasted and brown. Add salt and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, stir in brown rice and cook another 20 minutes. Lastly, add the cracked wheat and finish cooking, 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork just before serving, and top with chopped parsley.

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Autumn Recipes