A farina menu does not mean just different variations of cereals. There is a lot you can do with this quick-cooking ground wheat cereal that comes enriched with B vitamins and is also a good source of carbohydrates and protein. Farina helps quick-bread dough cook faster and aids in extending ground meat mixtures. Here are some great farina menu ideas.

Farina Cereal

In an age of early morning fast-food and frosted toaster waffles, stovetop cooked hot cereals have an out-of-date reputation. Most people may shy away from hot cereal, thinking it tends to cook up lumpy or is tricky to prepare. Shattering that notion can do help your hungry breakfast crowd nutritionally. A half cup serving of farina cereal packs 50 percent of the recommended daily allowance of iron. Garnish a bowl of farina with sweet toppings to suit different tastes. Pour the cooked cereal into serving bowls; sprinkle some brown sugar on it along with a small side of fruit or jam.

Bacon and Cheese Farina with Fried Eggs

This makes an excellent breakfast menu item or even a brunch menu item. Fried eggs, cheesy farina and bacon, can you really go wrong with this dish? Just the sound of it should have got you hungry by now. This farina dish is going to be the star item of the menu. Each serving should have some hot cheesy farina with two fried eggs garnished with chopped chives and some hot sauce.

Sweet Farina Casserole with Cherries

This sweet casserole dish with cherries, eggs, and farina is perfect for after school lunch. Serve it after a light broth soup. With just a quarter cup of sugar for the whole casserole, the eggs and cherries make it a nourishing dinner. Plums, apricots and apples are all good in this casserole. Serve warm with cream, half and half, whipped cream or vanilla sauce, take your pick. The left overs can easily be refrigerated and it makes for an excellent midnight snack.

Farina Dumplings

This makes for a great appetizer to serve at parties or brunches. It goes really well with pork and sauerkraut. The farina to flour ratio is approximately 1:2, and be careful to add the water slowly until you attain the correct consistency. You can refrigerate the dumplings to eat later as well.

Farina, semolina or cream of wheat is great for a vegetarian diet. While cooking with Farina, remember that you can use additives like cinnamon, butter, sugar, jelly/jam or salt to enhance its otherwise bland taste.

Image credits – purcellmountainfarms.com; flickr.com; ifood.tv