Ito sa lagom is a traditional Serbian delicacy made of cooked ground wheat supplemented with ground walnuts and sugar. It represents harvest and rejuvenation as well as life and death. It is given out on significant events like Christmas, memorial services, and Slava (the family’s saint day). Huge tablespoons should be placed in cute custard cups or little decorative bowls, and whipped cream should be drizzled on top.
| Prep Time: | 40 mins |
| Cook Time: | 40 mins |
| Additional Time: | 8 hrs |
| Total Time: | 9 hrs 20 mins |
| Servings: | 24 |
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat berries
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ cups chopped walnuts
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons blanched slivered almonds
- ¼ cup cold heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Make the pudding: Place wheat berries in a 3-quart saucepan; add boiling water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a rolling boil. Let boil for 15 seconds, then drain and discard the water. Repeat five times: add boiling water, bring to a boil, boil for 15 seconds, drain.
- Cover wheat berries again by 2 inches with boiling water. Stir in salt and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 seconds, then remove from the heat without draining. Place the pan on a folded blanket, cover, and wrap with towels or blankets. Let sit at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.
- The next day, drain any water that hasn’t been absorbed. Grind wheat berries thoroughly in a food processor. (If you use a blender, work in very small batches.) Transfer ground wheat to a bowl and clean the food processor.
- Grind walnuts in the food processor until fine. Add confectioners’ sugar and process until mixture resembles fine meal. Add ground wheat and pulse until well combined.
- Spoon pudding into a glass trifle bowl or serving dish. Stick slivered almonds into pudding to resemble a porcupine.
- Make the topping: Beat cream in a chilled glass or metal bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Serve pudding in 2-tablespoon portions in small decorative bowls or custard cups. Top each serving with whipped cream.
- White wheat berries are preferable to hard red winter wheat berries. You could also substitute whole spelt berries or farro.
- Keep a kettle of boiling water on hand while boiling the wheat berries, and continue to refill and heat as needed.
Reviews
Easy to make, clear directions. My mother used to spend hours making this. Got many compliments on a taste.
I tried this one as part of a challenge, and glad that I did! I used Farro that I got from the missing ingredient site here in Canada, and followed the steps pretty much to the letter… but did add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the sugar in the final step. This has a very nice taste, and you only need to serve a small amount as it is very rich. The whip cream balances the flavors, and the almonds add a nice texture. Fresh raspberries added anther dimension and some color to the presentation.
This recipe is great! Everyone thought that my mother-in-law made it at our Slava. My daughter loves it… It’s a dessert that I don’t feel bad giving her.