Instructions: Add wheat berries, broth, and chipotle or cayenne to a 4 or 5 qt. pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally until the wheat berries are cooked to your liking. 45 minutes will leave them still nicely chewy. Meanwhile, sautE onions in a teaspoon of olive oil until soft and caramelized, then place in a large mixing bowl. Remove the wheat berries from heat, drain, and reserve the cooking liquid. In a small bowl, beat 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid, peanut butter, and jam until smoothly blended. Add the ginger, hot sauce, vinegar, and soy sauce and blend well. Adjust seasonings to your preference. Stir the sauce mixture into the wheat berries, cover and let stand until cool - about 30 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in the scallions, cilantro, and chopped peanuts - you may want to reserve some of each for garnish.

NOTES : Sauce should be quite spicy - noticeably gingery and hot. I use jarred minced ginger, adjusting to taste. Bear in mind that the grains will mute the intensity of the sauce. For the hot sauce - I use Melindas habanero sauce. Adjust to taste if using Tabasco or another sauce.

Seasoned rice vinegar is mild and sweet - if using white vinegar, add 1 teaspoon sugar.

Both spelt and wheat berries require about 50 minutes of boiling - and unlike rice, there should be water left in the pot when you are done. The key is to keep tasting them - I usually find that I like them best when theyve begun to burst. They are still very chewy, though.

Heres my favorite wheat berry recipe - I always get raves when I serve it. The original called for the onions to be slowly sautEed in water, which I found to be VERY tedious and not worth the time.

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