Farina/Cream of wheat.

[CharlieD]

It is definitely grain, right?

Pretty common hot cereal item in US. But, if you grew up in Ukraine or Russia that was a staple. My mother would shove this stuff into me and I would throw up. She would make more and I would start gagging before the plate was even on the table. No matter what she added to it, be it chocolate or chocolate chips, marmalade, jam or jelly, sugar and butter. I hated it, I hated it, I hated it. I still do. My kids love it. I leave the kitchen when they make it.
Never the less here is a completely different way of making Farina. Usually you add like a teaspoon or two per a cup of milk or water, right/ This recipe calls for half a cup of Farina per cup of liquid. Preferably soup broth or I prefer liquid when I make stew. The other day I was making beef stew and I had to have this.

1 cup of stew liquid
1/2 a cup of Farina
Salt to taste

How to:

In a dry frying pan saute farina, constantly stirring until it has brownish color. Do not burn.
In the mean time bring liquid to boil. Add farina, be careful it will splatter, I usually just do it over the sink and slowly. Put it back on fire. It takes only couple of minutes to cook. Stir until all liquid is gone. Serve as a side dish like you would serve rice, or couscous couscous, or noodles, etc. I absolutely love it.
Now let's see if I can add photos.

 

[RPCookin]

I liked it... had it a lot for breakfasts before school during long Minnesota winters when I was growing up. Cream of Wheat and Quaker Oatmeal, both with with milk and teaspoon of sugar, were the regular hot winter breakfasts during the school week (oatmeal was a treat when I could have it with brown sugar, along with a handful of raisins that were cooked with the cereal).

Also had Cheerios and corn flakes a lot too, but cold cereals weren't as attractive when I had to stand out in below zero weather waiting for the school bus.

 

[CharlieD]

Why am I having such hard time with pictures I don't know.

I added some chicken leftovers. Cut into small pieces. Mixed in right before it was done, just long enough to warm it up.

 

[Andy M.]

It's kinda like grits except with wheat.

 

[medtran49]

Is this the dish you referred to in the congee thread? If so, they are both porridge like dishes with some kind of protein, but 1 kind is wheat based and 1 kind is rice based.

 

[blissful]

We ate farina as kids. It was more of a porridge consistency, wet like oatmeal, then some milk puddled on top with a little sugar.

 

[CharlieD]

Is this the dish you referred to in the congee thread? If so, they are both porridge like dishes with some kind of protein, but 1 kind is wheat based and 1 kind is rice based.

Yes, this is the one I mentioned there. And yes, it is porridge.

 

[msmofet]

My mom made cream of wheat, farina and wheatena cereals. I loved them.

 

[CakePoet]

Mannagryn is the Swedish verison and I love it baked. Yes it called Mannagryns pudding and I love it with fresh fruit or jam and whipped crem.

Ålandspannkaka Ålands pancake also have farina in it and that is also a lovely dessert.

 

[CharlieD]

Well, this is definitely no dessert.

 

[Addie]

I got lucky. All my kids loved hot cereal. Specially in the winter. They were always trying to outdo each other with their toppings. Pirate has been eating Cream of Wheat for the past month. He stays very close to his childhood memories. And Cream of Wheat is right at the top.

It was the first solid food I fed all my kids. Spike cooks a whole box for just one meal. His idea of a snack.

 

[RPCookin]

We never used this for anything but hot breakfast cereal.

I just recalled that the brand name we had most often was Malt-O-Meal. Same thing as Cream of Wheat, just different company.

 

[CharlieD]

We never used this for anything but hot breakfast cereal.

I just recalled that the brand name we had most often was Malt-O-Meal. Same thing as Cream of Wheat, just different company.

Exactly. I doubt very much that there are people who know about this recipe, even in Russia. But that's the beauty of it. Make a side dish that nobody ever had.

 

[taxlady]

I find it kind of bland as cereal. My ex found a recipe for an Indian dessert called halvah. It was wonderful. I have tried looking on the intertubes, but haven't found it, only stuff with carrots and there were no carrots in this. I would love to find that recipe again.

 

[CharlieD]

Halvah? Halvah is a dessert, right. It s made either from sunflower seeds or sesame seeds. It is not just Indian. It is supper popular in Russia and all over middle east. Sold in every European/Russian stores here. Russian stores for sure, some times they called Europeans though.

 

[taxlady]

Halvah? Halvah is a dessert, right. It s made either from sunflower seeds or sesame seeds. It is not just Indian. It is supper popular in Russia and all over middle east. Sold in every European/Russian stores here. Russian stores for sure, some times they called Europeans though.

It was nothing like that halvah. I had mentioned that I loved halvah. That was why he made that dessert when he came across the recipe. Boy was I surprised when he took it out of the fridge.

 

[Addie]

Exactly. I doubt very much that there are people who know about this recipe, even in Russia. But that's the beauty of it. Make a side dish that nobody ever had.

Sounds like you have definitely been "Americanized totally Charlie!.

Here is a site from the makers of Cream of Wheat that you just might be interested in.

Recipes

Enjoy.