Raw whole wheat berries that are crushed to varying qualities of texture are called cracked wheat and require cooking. These are also found in 3 grades of coarseness: fine, medium and coarse, the choice of which depends on use and preference.
Wheat can be cracked in your blender, or grinder. Be sure that sift it well after cracking. Then it is ready for cooking.
Cooked Cracked Wheat
1 Cup cracked wheat, (sifted)
1 tsp. salt (opt.)
3 to 4 cups Water
1Tbsp, butter or oil
Combine, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Can be served as cereal by adding milk, honey or brown sugar. This also has many other uses.
Cracked Wheat as a meat extender:
Use half cooked cracked wheat with half ground beef in any recipe calling for ground beef.
Can also be used in place of rice in recipes.
Cracked Wheat Pilaf
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup cracked wheat 2 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley 1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions
1. In a dry skillet (with at least 2" sides) over medium heat, toast the wheat, stirring constantly. After a few minutes it will give off a nutty aroma; stir in 2 1/2 cups boiling water and a dash of salt.
2. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the wheat is tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Place a cloth under the lid and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the olive oil and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Tuna Wheat salad
1 can tuna 1tsp grated onion
1/3 C diced celery 1 Tbsp. Salad dressing
½ C cooked wheat (cracked or whole I prefer cracked in this)
½ tsp celery salt Ground black pepper to taste
Mix together and serve cold.
Bulgur
Raw wheat berries that are soaked, then steamed (hence pre-cooked if you will), dried and then crushed are called bulgur. These can also be cracked in your blender after dried.
Tabouli Salad
1/4 C fresh mint
1/4 C fresh basil
1/4 C fresh cilantro
The juice of 2 to 3 lemons
¼ C olive oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 roma tomatoes (optional) excess juice drained off
1 cucumber chopped
2 green onions chopped
Directions:
Cover bulgur with hot water and soak for 15 minutes. Squeeze out excess water. Mix in all other ingredients into bulgar, then salt and pepper to taste. Allow this to rest until bulgur is soft, about 30 minutes.
Cracked wheat and bulgur, are they interchangeable?
This depends on whether the recipe requires cooking or not and your own degree of purism. A salad recipe such as tabooli is uncooked, and so requires true bulgur as do recipes where bulgur is brought to the boil, cooked for a moment then left to rest off heat to swell as in a pilaf. Recipes requiring longer cooking times or coarse grain bulgur can be replaced with cracked wheat, but will need more cooking time.
