Ingredients

• 2 to 3 lbs Organic Hard Red Wheat Berries or Hard Red Wheat Berries
• 2/3 cup Graham Crackers plus extra (grated or food processed or ground)
• 8 to 10 oz Raisins or other dried fruits
• 4 to 6 oz White Hulled Sesame Seeds
• 1-1/3 cups Sugar
• 2 cups Chopped Walnuts
• 1/2 cup Slivered Almonds (plus some extra)
• 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cardamom
• 1/2 cup Parsley chopped fresh
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 Powdered Sugar
• 1 Jordan Almonds (traditionally white)
• 1 platter with doilies
• 1 Waxed Paper

Instructions

1. Soak wheat berries for 4 hours. Do not oversoak!
2. Boil berries in lightly salted water for about an hour. They should look like bloated berries and NOT like bulgur or rice. Give the berries a little taste. Berries should be tender, chewy and pop a little in your mouth. It should not be tough to chew them.
3. Strain berries and rinse in cool water. Let the berries drain for about 10 minutes.
4. Cover a table with some towels and dry berries on the towels for about an hour. You are drying the outside, not the inside!
5. After the drying, berries can be stored in the fridge for 24 hours.
6. Combine graham cracker crumbs, raisins, sesame seeds, sugar, walnuts, slivered almonds, spices, parsley and salt. Stir into the wheat berries.
   
   
   
   The following steps are to be done at church:
7. Arrange doilies on the platter and mound the Koliva on top of them.
8. Flatten the mound with waxed paper. Remove the waxed paper.
9. Sprinkle some graham cracker crumbs over the mound and flatten again.
10. Sift confectioners sugar over the mound and flatten again.
11. Create a cross in the center of the Koliva with Jordan almonds or almond slivers.
12. Make the initials of the deceased with Jordan almonds or almond slivers. Decorate edges if desired.
    
    
    
    Makes about 25 servings.