This rye berry salad dish is wholesome, filling, and nutrient-dense. (Recipe Credit: Aube Giroux of Kitchen Vignettes).
Writer and director Aube Giroux shares her passion for cooking on her farm-to-table blog, Kitchen Vignettes.
Aube enjoys telling the tales of how food is produced and how it ends up on our dinner plates. She is an enthusiastic organic gardener and home cook. International film festivals and television have both aired her work. Multiple James Beard Award nominations for Best Video Webcast (On Location) have been made for her web series. She won the Best Food Blog prize from Saveur Magazine in the video category in 2012.
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The Different Forms of Rye
Similar to how wheat berries are the whole grain form of wheat, rye berries are the rye plant. The rye berry has a nutty, earthy flavor and is pleasantly toothsome yet tender when cooked. They can be cooked and eaten whole in salads, grain bowls, soups, or even in a rye version of risotto. They are available in many natural grocery stores as well as online at Amazon.
Rye berries should be kept in an airtight container at room temperature (I use a mason jar for this). They can be kept in a cool, dry place for at least six months. The raw rye berries can be frozen for up to a year for longer storage in an airtight container or freezer bag.
For up to five days, cooked rye berries can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Transfer the cooked, completely cooled rye berries to a freezer bag for longer storage. Tightly seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
Basic Stovetop Preparation: In a fine mesh strainer, rinse 1 cup of rye berries. Bring a medium sauce pan of water to a boil. Add ½ teaspoon of fine salt and the rye berries. reheat to a boil before lowering the heat to a simmer Cook for 45–60 minutes, or until the rye berries are soft but not mushy. You can only taste them to determine whether they are prepared to your preferences. If you would like them to be softer, keep cooking.
Some recipes suggest soaking the rye berries overnight in a covered bowl of cold water prior to cooking. The idea is to shave a few minutes off of the cooking time and to potentially make the grains more digestible and the nutrients contained in the rye berries more bioavailable. I have not found soaking to be necessary and generally skip this step, but you certainly can if you are thinking ahead.
If you cant find rye berries, consider using pearl barley, hulled barley, wheat berries, or farro instead. Bear in mind that each of these grains has their own unique cooking times.
Whole grains in an Instant Pot.
We have been attempting to include whole grains in our diet on a daily basis as part of our efforts to eat healthier and adhere to a more Mediterranean diet. The issue is that cooking whole grains typically takes at least an hour. I have to watch the stove for that amount of time.
While I’ve discovered that it doesn’t save a lot of time, what it does save is my attention, and the Instant Pot has made this so simple.
I can start the Instant Pot and work in the garden outside. It’s not like a pot on my gas stove that I have to worry about, so I don’t have to.
Barley risotto and Thai pork lettuce wraps are a couple of additional popular instant pot whole grain recipes.
I first sauté rye berries in a little olive oil before cooking them in an Instant Pot. This enhances the flavor with wonderful notes of toasted bread, and the oil prevents any foaming from the whole grains. I then add 4 cups of water.
The rye berries cook under pressure for 25 minutes.
I let it perform a natural pressure release (NPR) after that; this typically takes about 25 minutes. I use a NPR because grains can sometimes foam up.
I then drain them and spread them out to dry on a cookie sheet because I usually use them in a salad. They can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
The rye berries take roughly an hour to prepare in total. The best part though is that it is unattended time. I can do things that I don’t feel good about doing when I have a pot on the stove, like work in the yard or run errands.
Eating whole grains every day is so simple with the Instant Pot; visit my Instant Pot Category for even more simple pressure cooker recipes.
Why is rye so popular in Scandinavia?
Climate and geography have historically been major influences on cultural food choices. People used to eat what they could gather, grow, or hunt on their own land before the advent of modern agriculture and food transportation. This was particularly difficult for people in northern Europe because of the severe winters and short growing seasons. Rye became a crucial part of the traditional Scandinavian diet as a result of its ability to withstand the cold, wet weather of the Nordic region and its short growing season.
Because they are very nutritious and can be kept for a long time, whole grains are also beneficial in cold climates. When it was impossible to grow fresh food during the harsh winters, breads and porridges were essential for keeping people alive.