Eastern spices like cumin and cardamom add bright notes to this earthy, pleasantly chewy pilaf, enriched with pistachios and dried apricots. Serve this at Thanksgiving as a lighter alternative to traditional bread stuffing. This recipe first appeared in our November 2011 issue along with Linda Monastra's story True Harvest.
Ingredients
- 2 cups wheat berries
- 1⁄4 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1⁄2 cup (about 3 oz.) finely chopped dried apricots
- 1⁄2 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1⁄2 tsp. ground cardamom
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1⁄4 cup roughly chopped mint
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
Step 1
Bring wheat berries and 6 cups water to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over high heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Step 2
Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat; add garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 1 minute. Add reserved wheat berries, along with apricots, pistachios, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, and salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until warmed through and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in mint and lemon zest and juice.
Keep Reading
Continue to Next Story