Wheat Berry Chili

Get warm this winter with this hearty and nutritious wheat berry chili using any kind of BSM wheat berry you choose! We recommend choosing Sonora whole berries. Go vegetarian or the classic way by adding in your preferred meat....and yes you diehard Texas folks this does have beans in it! 

 Download a printable version of the recipe here.

Wheat Berry Chili

Yield: about 8-10 servings

This is listed as a vegetarian version of chili, but feel free to add 1lb. of cooked ground meat such as beef or venison to this recipe.

Be sure to pair with a side of cornbread! See BSM cornbread recipe here:

https://bartonspringsmill.com/blogs/recipes/bsm-cornbread-recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup BSM wheat berries (Sonora used here)

3 T BSM Standard AP flour

¼ cup olive oil

1 medium onion (small diced)

2 stalks of celery (small diced)

1 green bell pepper (small diced)

2 poblano peppers (small diced)

2 jalapenos (minced, remove seeds for mild)

5 cloves garlic (minced)

8oz chopped green chile peppers (canned, drained)

3 28oz cans whole peeled tomatoes crushed

1 ½ T fine sea salt (or to taste)

¼ cup chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp paprika

1 ½ tsp ground marjoram

½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional, for more heat)

1 15oz can kidney beans (drained)

1 15oz can black beans

Garnish: (optional)

sour cream

shredded cheddar cheese

sliced green onion

 Method:

Soak the wheat berries in 4 cups of boiling water for 1 hr. Pour the berries and water into a small pot and simmer over low heat for 1 ½ hrs or until tender.  The berries can also cook directly in a pressure cooker without the pre-soak using the multigrain setting. Once tender, pour all, including the excess water, into a separate bowl and set aside.

Place the bell pepper, poblano pepper, and jalapenos on a baking pan, lightly coat the peppers in olive oil, and roast at 400°F for 25 min or until blistered. Peel the skins off the peppers and remove the stems and seeds. Medium dice the peppers and set aside.

In a large pot, sauté the diced onion, celery, and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add the diced roasted peppers and the can of diced green chilies to the sautéed vegetables. Stir in the flour over the vegetable mixture.

*If adding any kind of meat, add the meat to the sautéed vegetables and brown before adding the flour.

Pour in the canned tomatoes followed by all of the spices, and lower to a simmer for 25 min to allow to the chili to stew. For a slightly thinner chili, add one empty tomato can of water or broth. 

Add the cooked wheat berries and canned beans then stir to incorporate. Continue to simmer on low for 25 min to allow the flavors to develop.

Serve hot with suggested garnishes and a slice of cornbread for those cooler days ahead this winter!