Ancient Grains for Modern Meals - Maria Speck [85]
¾ cup whole wheat flour
1 large egg
¼ cup whole or lowfat milk
1½ cups whole wheat panko bread crumbs
1 pound (3 or 4 pieces) skinless firm white fish fillets such as tilapia, mahi mahi, cod, or halibut
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
RÉMOULADE, AND TO FINISH
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
¼ cup finely chopped dill, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
3 tablespoons finely chopped cornichons (about 4)
2 tablespoons nonpareil capers, drained
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Lemon wedges, for serving
1 To make the fish sticks, position 1 rack 6 inches from the heat of the broiler. Position a second rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil, or spray with cooking spray.
2 Place the sesame seeds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until they have the texture of coarse nut meal, about a minute and a half for unhulled seeds (a bit less for hulled). You will have about ⅔ cup ground sesame meal.
3 Have 3 shallow bowls or pie plates ready, one of them large. Spread the whole wheat flour over 1 plate. Put the egg and milk in the second one and lightly beat with a fork to blend. On the large plate, spread the panko bread crumbs and the sesame meal, tossing with your hands to combine.
4 Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels. Cut each fillet lengthwise into 2 pieces, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge each piece in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Dip into the egg mixture, allowing the excess to drip off, and coat with the panko-sesame mixture, pressing gently to adhere all around. Transfer the coated fillets to the prepared baking sheet.
5 Spray the fillets with cooking spray and place the baking sheet on the center rack of the oven. Bake until the fish sticks are opaque throughout, 9 to 13 minutes depending on the thickness (test by piercing the thickest part with a paring knife).
6 Meanwhile, make the rémoulade. Beat the yogurt in a small bowl with a fork until smooth. Add the ¼ cup dill, cornichons, capers, mustard, and honey, and stir to combine. Garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon dill.
7 Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and spray the fish sticks with cooking spray. Heat the broiler. Place the baking sheet on the top rack and broil the fish sticks until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Watch closely so as not to burn them. Serve right away, with the rémoulade and lemon wedges.
Buckwheat: Bold and Almost Instant
Serve a stack of rustic buckwheat pancakes, dripping with maple syrup, to your guests for brunch—and ask if anyone knows what buckwheat looks like. Chances are, the conversation around the table will go quiet, fast. Or pose the question in a trendy soup spot when you are slurping a rich, meaty broth laced with elegant grayish Japanese soba noodles. Quiet, again. Most of us know little about the tiny seeds that give the earthy flavor and color to the flour in both of these signature dishes. Whenever I take the heart-shaped triangular seed grains to a cooking class, participants examine them with the curiosity reserved for mysterious artifacts unearthed from a prehistoric cave.
Most of all, though, I’m surprised that buckwheat hasn’t made any inroads into our time-pressed lives. In this day and age, when we grab instant polenta and quick-cooking parboiled rice, why not buy something that actually cooks fast from scratch? A delicious and hassle-free side, on the table in minutes.
Even I have to admit that buckwheat made its entry into my grain universe rather quietly, unlike some whole grains, which forcefully stamped their distinctive characters into my culinary memory for life. My first chew of wheat berries, for example, hit me like the French coup de foudre, love at first sight (or bite). Same with barley. Or teff. Not so with buckwheat. Buckwheat simply snuck up on me—and stayed.
It stayed because buckwheat can be prepared at the speed of light: as fast as you can sear and dish up a steak, this side will be ready. It stayed because it is amazingly