Wheat berries are not a part of our weekly meal rotation. As a matter of fact, I have never made them. I read about wheat berries in a blog I love to follow called “Bits & Pieces” by Maria Isabella. Maria wrote about Serbia in one of her recent posts and I became curious about Serbian food. She was generous enough to post her favorite Serbian dessert, called Koljivo; it was calling my name. I wasn’t sure how many stars my four food critics would give after sampling the Koljivo, but I remained hopeful. It’s not often that I make a dessert that all four kids love. Not often, but this dessert qualifies. It was a grand slam in my kitchen! I tweaked Maria’s original recipe a tad, and Koljivo has now been added to our favorite desserts list. Thank you, Maria!
Koljivo is a sweet boiled wheat dish. Take 1 lb of wheat berries and boil in a pot of salted water for one and a half hours, stirring occasionally to make sure none of the wheat berries stick to the bottom. Drain and rinse well. Transfer to a mixing bowl and using your immersion blender, blend the wheat berries to soften the consistency a little. Add ¾ cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Stir gently to combine.
Once your blended, slightly sweetened mixture is cooled, layer with homemade whipped cream and fresh chopped strawberries.
