Brown Rice and Wheat Berry Pilaf

I had a side dish like this for the first time way back in the 80's when our family lived in Kearny, NJ. I had it at this great restaurant called The Park and Orchard. It is a great "whole foods" restaurant. I enjoyed the dish so much that I created my own version which has become a standard. Last night we had this with pan roasted shrimp and zucchini. Wheat berries are kind of an unusual ingredient. They are simply whole kernals of wheat. They should be soaked before cooking unless you want to cook the dish for an hour or more. They add a toothsome nuttiness to the pilaf.

Brown Rice and Wheat Berry Pilaf

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1/4 cup of soft white wheat berries
1 cup of brown rice
2 cups good quality vegetable broth
1 cup water
salt, pepper, fresh herbs to taste

Soak the wheat berries overnight or boil in small amount of water, let stand off the heat for 2 hours.

Sweat onion in the oil until they are transparent. Add the wheat berries, rice, stock and water. Bring to a boil, stir, turn down heat to low, cover pan and cook for 35-45 minutes until rice and wheat are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Taste and add seasonsings.

Enjoy!