In the food pyramid of the Mediterranean diet cereals are at the base; they are, that is, foods to be consumed daily.
The characteristics that make them so special are many: rich in proteins and other nutrients, easily digestible, energetic.
Currently, we mainly eat wheat, rice and a few other cereals, but the offer would be much wider: oats, barley, corn, wheat, spelled, millet, tapioca , rye . As we can see, cereals are really very many ...
How to cook cereals
It is possible to cook cereals in a thousand different ways; cereals are in fact very versatile foods and can be used in the preparation of unique dishes, appetizers, soups, salads, pies and even desserts.
The first thing to do to cook cereals is to cook them well on the fire; once cooked they can become the main ingredient for several dishes.
Spelled and barley, for example, can be used instead of rice to prepare dishes similar to risotto, it is very fashionable, for example, the so-called orzotto, similar to risotto, in fact, but obviously based on barley, for example is inviting the orzotto with pumpkin flowers; they can be made to cool and become the basis of tasty summer salads; they can be mixed with each other or with legumes and become fabulous soups.
In summary, the fundamental ingredients for cooking cereals are tradition and fantasy; a little, therefore, it is necessary to resort to the recipes of our grandmothers, a little must experiment, try and have fun inventing the dishes that best meet their own taste. The important thing is not to forget to include cereals in your diet: they are too important nutrients.
Spelled, rich cereal but beware of gluten
A recipe for cooking with cereals
Among the many possible ways to cook cereals, a sweet recipe is proposed, to emphasize once more the versatility of these ingredients.
Spelled cake
Ingredients :
> 200 grams of spelled in beans,
> 300 grams of cow's milk ricotta,
> 100 grams of 00 flour,
> 80 grams of sugar,
> 2 liters of milk,
> 4 eggs,
> vanilla,
> the grated rind of a lemon,
> 100 grams of sultanas soaked in rum,
> half a stick of crushed cinnamon,
> a pinch of salt.
Preparation : Cook the spelled in milk over low heat for about two hours with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Once the spelled is cooked, while it cools down a little, place the ricotta, egg yolks, flour, raisins, lemon peel in a large bowl and mix with the mixer until the mixture is homogeneous. ; if it is too hard, add a cup of milk or rum and mix again.
Then add the spelled cooked in milk. Finally put the egg whites, previously whipped with a pinch of salt. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured mold and bake at 180 ° for 40 minutes.
