Ancient Grains for Modern Meals

This past year we cooked a lot of “ancient grains” in our kitchen, prompted by a birthday gift of 5 pounds of quinoa. Yes, Virginia, I am the kind of girl who finds 5 pounds of quinoa a spectacular birthday gift. Along with quinoa we consumed a fair amount of farro. Not a week passes without grits and our bread is enriched with wheat berries.

Now here is a word about incorporating “ancient grains” into your diet. Before you get all freaked out about what to do with them, just think of quinoa, farro, barley, oat berries as a substitute for rice. Want to be more adventurous? Pick up a copy of Maria Speck’s Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. Maria Speck takes and old world approach to cooking, stating that she doesn’t own a lot of cooking equipment. She has a mortar and pestle rather than a food processor. She does, however, have two different grain mills, as one might expect. Many of these recipes walk you through making the grains first. Once the grains are cooked then the remaining ingredients are prepared and the dish is put together.

This year, for Christmas(it actually arrived before Christmas, but that's another story...)we got a grain grinder. It is not the spiffy German one that Speck owns, but a silver behemoth whose bucket was cracked. Upon our first use, we covered the kitchen in a fog of blue cornmeal. We then turned our blue cornmeal into a green cornbread. A good first effort!

Health professional tell us we need more whole grain. So if you think that might just be a bowl of oatmeal every now and then you desperately need Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. One of the easiest grains to both find and cook is probably couscous. Like all packaged foods, buy the plain, whole-wheat couscous and not a box that has already been flavored. Remember, your job is to add the flavor. This citrus couscous makes a lovely side dish, especially for roasted chicken.

Orange and Lemon Couscous

2 large oranges

1 lemon

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup whole-wheat couscous

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Finely grate the zest of one orange and squeeze the oranges until you have about 3/4 cup juice. Finely grate the zest of the lemon, and squeeze the lemon half to get 2 tablespoons juice. (Reserve the remaining lemon for another use.) Whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice and zest in a liquid measuring cup or small bowl.

2. Bring the chicken broth, olive oil, salt and pepper to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the juice mixture and the couscous. Cover and let sit until the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.

3. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Fluff the grains with two forks, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve right away.

See, that was easy. Now that you have jumped right in you, too, will be getting large bags of quinoa for your birthday. Lets hope they throw in a copy of Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. Happy Birthday.

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Glorious Grits

Susan McEwen McIntosh came to write Glorious Grits honestly. Several years ago her parents traveled to the Smokey Mountains where they visited an old-fashioned water-turned gristmill. There was a gift shop selling products from the mill and McIntosh’s father, who owns a hardware store, learned that the owner of the gristmill was also in the hardware business.

Dad brought back stone ground grits to his children and a bright idea to his son Frank who ran the hardware and feed store -- Buy a gristmill and grind grits. Frank said he would think about it. He thought it over and made the investment. He delivered several bags of his grits to restaurants in the Birmingham area and soon his phone began ringing. Word spread and before long, McEwen & Sons grits were turning up in restaurants all around the South.

Frank called his sister, Susan, a food writer and asked for help with some recipes. Chefs around the country were developing new recipes for grits. Southern Living wanted to know when McIntosh was going to write a book. She did. Glorious Grits features not only her recipes but also recipes from chefs far and wide. I always tell people I know 10,000 ways to make grits, but there are recipes in here even I didn't think of.

In Alabama, we love our cheese straws. Next time you are thinking of baking them give this recipe a try. These lovely crackers are a great way to slip grits into an everyday recipe. This recipe needs a fine cornmeal, so if you use a heavier stone-ground variety you might want to sift it.

Cheddar-Pecan Crackers

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely ground or sifted stone-ground yellow or white cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded extra sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
3 to 4 teaspoons cold water

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine egg and 1 tablespoon water, stirring until blended; set aside.

Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients in a bowl until well blended; add butter, and cut in with a pastry blender or fingertips until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cheese and pecans. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water, and toss gently with a fork until mixture is moistened and forms a ball.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and shape into a round disk. Roll out dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch biscuit or cookie cutter, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush dough lightly with egg wash. Bake at 375F for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer crackers to a wire rack to cool completely. Store crackers in an airtight container.

Think of the ooh’s and ahh’s you will get at your next cocktail party when you serve these.

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