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By Root 668 0

then combined with tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese, drizzled with olive oil. I remember carrying the dark rusks with me while hiking across islands in Greece—as part of a rustic picnic, eaten on top of a mountain overlooking the sun-drenched Aegean Sea. We also packed feta cheese, olives, and boiled eggs, as well as juicy tomatoes and fresh grapes. On lucky days, we were able to marry the rusks with fresh goat cheese, bought by the side of the road. A farmer would hang his cheese baskets on a clothesline in the yard, swinging in the wind to ripen and for wandering tourists to see.

To me, there is also a sweet, ambrosial character to this ancient grain. With its unobtrusive mildness, it pairs exquisitely with soft, tender vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, and squash of all kinds. Barley’s inviting, delicate flavor also makes it splendid for desserts. A sweetened porridge, often made from barley and called belila by Sephardic Jews, is one luscious example. In Britain, people cherish barley pudding, dotted with currants and served with cream. It’s a gratifying treat, divine in its simplicity. I also like to use the flour in ethereal holiday cookies, spruced up with candied orange peel and almonds.

One of my favorite barley dishes is a bread enhanced with walnuts, finely chopped rings of leek caramelized in butter and beer. The result is a memorable loaf, with a balmy sweetness that defies its heartiness. Maybe the beer culture of Bavaria did, after all, have an impact on a school kid imported from Greece.

Chapter 4

BURGERS, SAVORY

CAKES, & MORE

Everyone loves finger food. At its most appealing, the classic Greek appetizer platter meze comes with tiny beef kebabs, melting cheese fritters, hot zucchini cakes, and more—whatever the chef dreams up that day. Whole grains, with their distinct flavors and textures, expand this sensory universe. Think juicy lamb burgers with bulgur, or bright oatcakes with crunchy pine nuts, Brie, and aromatic sun-dried tomatoes. By making grain cakes you are reviving a succulent “leftover” tradition. After all, they were a natural innovation by frugal homemakers who wanted to serve their families something delicious instead of the same old grain from the night before.

Here’s all you need to create a myriad of new burgers, fritters, and grain cakes: combine leftover grains with minced meat, fish, or cheese. Add herbs, spices, eggs, and a binder, if needed. Mash, shape, and pan-fry: your super-fast dinner is ready. Don’t forget the ketchup and the mustard. This is fast food first-class. Any way you roll or shape them, these moist bites are also great party food. But don’t ever call them whole grain patties, that’s so twentieth-century.

SMELLING COWS AND CUTLETS

Brie Cakes with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Lamb Burgers with Bulgur and Mint

Buckwheat-Feta Burgers with Tangy Parsley Sauce

Quinoa Cakes with Smoked Trout and Lime Mayonnaise

Zucchini-Dill Bites with Pine Nuts

Crispy Brown Rice Cakes with Green Olives, Pecorino, and Sage

Sesame-Crusted Fish Sticks with Yogurt Rémoulade

BUCKWHEAT: BOLD AND ALMOST INSTANT

Smelling Cows and Cutlets

Of all the senses we use to navigate through life, the sense of smell is most central to my being. My nose leads the way, whether I like it or not. As a five-year-old in Greece, I remember being hypnotized by the heavenly smell of a dark blue ball of heavy-duty rubber. I have never been able to understand why I was so mesmerized by this unusual scent, which I can recall to this day. But transfixed I was. As a teenager, the capability of my nose became the envy, and joke, of my friends. I was able to distinguish the perfumes my girlfriends were wearing. I fell head over heels for someone just because he smelled divine. And I could blindly tell cheeses, spices, and flowers apart—later to be followed by wine and any other food. To this day, I always know what my neighbors are having for dinner—even through brick walls.

Most of my life, this heightened sense of smell has served me well. Only on occasion has my hypersensitive olfactory organ been