Whole-y Grains!

I'm sure that like me, many of you have heard the buzz surrounding whole grains. How nutritious they are (packed with protein and fiber among other things), and how our diets lack these grains. Along with the steam engine, running water and refrigerators the modernization of America brought about processed food, to extend its shelf life. To preserve our breads and starches, wheat is stripped of their more perishable and nutritious outer germ, making them void of any nutrition. It seems as though unless your parents were hippies, you probably grew up like me, and the millions of other people in America, on a diet of white bread, white rice and white pasta, with little if any exposure to other grains. When eaten in excess, these foods can contribute to a laundry list of physical ailments.

It wasn't until these last few years that I noticed the nutritional error of my ways. Everywhere I turned someone was touting the benefits of oats, barley, mullet, spelt (aka farro), and quinoa (pronounced 'keen-wah'). Some of these immediately turned me off, sounding like grains eaten by the poor in third world countries (which they probably are). While others were more familiar (like oats and barley), but relegated to either a tasteless breakfast porridge or beef mushroom soup. If I was going to get the most bang for my nutritional buck, though, I couldn't just sprinkle a little grain in my soup, I would need to eat and serve substantial quantities of it, more like a side dish.

I introduced myself to some of these new grains by just boiling it in water (or broth if I was feeling adventurous), and using it in place of my Uncle Ben's. Boy was I in for a surprise. I had gotten so used to barely-flavored and almost mushy white rice, that the more assertive whole grain flavor and texture put me off a bit. I didn't realize that some of the grains benefit from being well rinsed before cooking to remove bitterness. Granted, I like the toothiness of some grains, but they also take a really long time to cook, making them a challenge to make during the week. Not to mention, I have a husband who treats anything healthy as an affront to a good meal. How could I make these grains flavorful enough that even my husband will want to eat them and how can I make them quickly enough to incorporate into weekday meals?

First thing, I started combing though cookbooks and magazines looking for potential recipes, with mixed success. Some recipes seemed healthier, like cous cous and bulgur, but further research revealed they weren't much (if any) better than what I have been eating. My first success was tucked away in the pages of Mario Batali's Babbo cookbook. He created a scallion barlotto (barley risotto). I always suspected Mario omits many of the secret steps and ingredients needed to make a successful recipe, since I have to find a keeper recipe, as written. The scallion barlotto was no exception. It sucked! It tasted very bitter and the scallion was way too strong. But like they say, you can always learn something from even your mistakes. What I learned was that you could cook barley like risotto, with a pleasant effect. Granted I would pair it with something else, like mushrooms, but the technique was definitely a keeper. Cooking the grain with the chicken broth and finishing it with grated Parmesan cheese, made it that much more flavorful and appealing.

Anther one of my favorite barley recipes came to me by accident. In discussing the challenge of making tasty whole grains with my friend, Carleen, she mentioned Mark Bittman addressing the very issue in the New York Times. Like mine, his challenge was to make whole grains super tasty and appealing to please even "meat and potato eaters". He came up with a delicious warm bulgur and lentil salad with tomatoes and cumin (recipe at the very bottom). The cumin gives the dish a wonderfully exotic flavor. The only catch was that I misread the bulgur to read barley (perhaps I was in a bulgur state of mind...) and I skipped the lettuce. I didn't have so much a salad as a warm starchy side dish. The recipe was still delicious and a keeper in my book. A big plus was that I found quick cooking barely at the market, so I can make this recipe during the week. It also freezes well, so I can make large batches on the weekend.

From there I tried to incorporate white whole wheat flour into more of my recipes. This works really well with pizza/bread dough and quick breads. I can often substitute 1/4 - 1/3 of the all purpose flour with white whole wheat flour without compromising taste or texture. I even discovered quick cooking brown rice, which is super easy to prepare and a no-brainer substitute for white rice. To make it more interesting, I'll add some (frozen) peas, herbs and toasted pine nuts, and no one misses the white of the rice. Whole Foods even carries fully cooked brown rice in the freezer section, while Trader Joe's sells fully cooked brown rice in vacuum sealed pouches. Perfect for weekday meals!

I even tried whole wheat pasta, thinking I could hide the taste in a sea of meat sauce. But the mealiness was even more than I could bare. My friend, Carleen, did offer a tip, to use non-traditional 'sauces' with the grain pastas, so there is no memory comparison of what it is supposed to taste like. Instead you are creating a new flavor combination. She likes to pair bitter greens (sauteed in garlic and oil) and pine nuts with her grain pasta. I admittedly am not ready to make the leap.

Quinoa had always been my greatest challenge. For those of you not familiar with this one, quinoa is a tiny round grain that when cooked, sprouts tiny curly cues (think pig tails). I love that it is quick cooking (about 15 min.), but could never figure out what to flavor it with to make it not only palatable, but tasty. Then I stumbled on a recipe (see below) from the June 2008 Food & Wine that uses quinoa in a tabbouleh styled salad with roasted peppers. Thanks to this recipe, I learned that quinoa needs to be thoroughly rinsed to rid it of the the bitterness I experienced when I first made it. My husband loves roasted peppers. So I thought, if I can get him to eat this, then we definitely have a keeper. The recipe turned out delicious, and my husband admitted that he would gladly eat it again.

What is great about this recipe is that you can really play around with what you add to it. I added chopped baby spinach, but you could add different veggies (raw or grilled), herbs, or even cubes of cheese. The salad is so light and refreshing that it is perfect as a side dish for a BBQ or on a picnic. This is also a good way to try other grains like millet or spelt.

I highly recommend you try both of the recipes below. You'll start to enjoy the added flavor of whole grains, and hopefully reap the benefits of eating them. Sorry, no pictures, but you'll have to trust me on these.

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Peppers and Tomatoes
Food and Wine, June 2008

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained (this helps remove the soapy bitter coating)
2 cups fresh orange juice
2 cups water
Kosher salt
2 large red bell peppers
½ cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded and finely diced (heirlooms would be great here)
¼ cup finely chopped basil
¼ cup finely chopped mint
Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the quinoa and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the orange juice, water and generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and spread on a baking sheet to cool.

Meanwhile, roast the red peppers directly over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning occasionally, until charred all over. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover and let steam for 10 minutes. Peel and seed them and cut into ¼-inch dice.

In a medium skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pine nuts to a plate to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil with the vinegar. Add the quinoa, peppers, pine nuts, cucumber, tomato, basil and mint and toss well, breaking up any lumps of quinoa. Season the salad with salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 6-8 as side dish


Like I say above, I used barley instead of bulgur for the following recipe, and loved the taste and texture the barley provided. Depending on the kind of barley you have (quick-cooking or not), allow for enough time to cook when adding it to the pot. It takes some time to overcook this grain so don't be afraid to add it earlier than necessary or pre-cook before adding to this dish. I also didn't used the salad or the yogurt topping, even though my friend, Carleen, loves it.

LENTIL WITH BULGUR AND HERB SALAD
NYTimes, 2/19/2005, Mark Bittman

1/2 cup brown or green lentils, washed and picked over
1/2 large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
salt and pepper
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp cayenne or dried red chili flakes (or to taste)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup medium-grain bulgur
3 cups chicken, beef or veggie stock or water
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 or 3 cups chopped mesclin greens or romaine
lemon juice
1 cup low-fat yogurt (if you like tang, try Greek or sheep's milk yogurt)

1. If time allows, soak the lentils in cold water for an hour or more. Drain.Soak onion in salted water until ready to serve

2. Put 1 tbsp oil in a deep saucepan and turn heat to medium. A minute later add garlic and cook until fragrant, another minute or so. Add tomato, cayenne and cumin and cook until tomato is soft, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add bulgur and cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes, then add liquid and lentils. Bring to a boil, then cover and adjust heat so it simmers steadily. Cook 20 - 30minutes or until lentils and bulgur are tender and all liquid is absorbed. (You will def. need to add liquid if you didn't soak the lentils, according to Mark.)

4. Toss herbs and lettuce with remaining olive oil and lemon juice to taste, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve lentil-bulgur mixture topped with dressed greens. Use a dollop of yogurt and onion as condiments

Serves 4

Spring Carbonara

I know what you're thinking, "carbonara is thick and creamy, and has nothing to do with spring." It's no wonder Americans think carbonara is a heavy cream sauce, thanks to the likes of Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill. These restaurants (just to name a few) bastardize Italian cuisine by making it more than it should be by adding more ingredients and sauce than necessary. If I see one more commercial about Olive Garden's chef training school in Italy (which I think is real because I saw a guy wearing a t-shirt touting its Culinary Institute in Tuscany), and their adding grilled chicken to pasta dishes, I'm going to lose it. In all my travels throughout Italy, I have yet to see chicken added to pasta, the way so many American restaurants like to do. Instead, the grilled chicken should be served as a second dish after the pasta...NOT together. But back to the carbonara...

In general, Italian cuisine involves taking really good fresh ingredients, and not doing too much to hide or disguise them. In essence, it is a simple cuisine, and carbonara sauce is no exception. The sauce itself is a bit creamy, yes, but as a result of adding eggs, Parmesan cheese and pasta water to the sauce, and not cream. I usually see this dish made with pancetta (cured pork belly), which is a good start to any dish, and peas. I made it a little more fresh and spring-y by adding leeks and fava beans. You could really go crazy with the veggies here - pea shoots or asparagus would also be nice. If you can, definitely keep the pork, even if you substitute it with bacon, as it lends a nice meatiness and depth to the dish.

Springtime Carbonara

8 slices pancetta (or bacon), diced
3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
1 pound fresh fava beans, shelled, blanced, and peeled
1 pound farfalle (bow tie-shaped pasta) or other small shaped pasta
4 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Cook pancetta in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel to drain. Pour off all but 4 tablespoons fat from skillet, or add olive oil if not enough. Add leeks and sauté over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the fava beans and saute for just a minute or two for the favas to heat through. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Whisk eggs and 3/4 cup Parmesan in medium bowl to blend; gradually whisk in 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Add pasta to leeks and favas in skillet (or add leeks & favas to pasta in pot if skillet not large enough) and stir to heat. Remove skillet from heat. Pour egg mixture over pasta and stir until sauce is just creamy and eggs are no longer raw, about 2 minutes. (Return skillet to very low heat if egg mixture is runny; do not overcook or eggs will curdle.) Add some of remaining 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid to pasta if needed to moisten. Stir in pancetta, parsley and black pepper, to taste. Serve pasta, passing additional cheese separately.

Serves 6