Ancient Grains for Modern Meals - Maria Speck [98]
I call this chapter “Modern Mains” because it is designed for contemporary lifestyles. Today, more than ever, our eating habits have changed. We enjoy smaller, inspiring meals just as much as an old-fashioned sit-down dinner with multiple courses, or a quick bite on the fly. This is why you will find here a collection of unconventional recipes to pique your curiosity. Use it as an opportunity to experiment with a wide range of whole grain dishes, but without the stress.
I invite you to use this chapter to explore these ancient grains in your twenty-first-century kitchen. Some recipes are straightforward and super-easy, such as lamb chops with a flavorful whole grain walnut-sage topping, or a Mediterranean-inspired rye risotto with smoky-sweet Spanish chorizo. Others will entice you to let loose on a leisurely day to create an unusual tart with a soft polenta crust and a tangy artichoke and cheese filling, or a mouthwatering caramelized onion quiche studded with lavender and crisped prosciutto. But whatever you try, you will not be left alone in the process, and you will find time-saving tips throughout. So go ahead and start to play in your kitchen.
WORTH WAITING FOR
Artichoke-Rosemary Tart with Polenta Crust
Tomato-Rye Risotto with Cumin and Chorizo
Easy Whole Wheat and Olive Oil Tart Shell
Sardine Tart with Sweet Bell Peppers and Currants
Lamb Chops with Walnut-Sage Crust
Spelt Crust Pizza with Fennel, Prosciutto, and Apples
Roast Chicken with Orange, Lavender, and Thyme
Oat Pilaf with Chicken Livers, Marsala, and Sage
Saffron Risotto with White-Wine Clams and Peas
Caramelized Onion Quiche with Lavender and Crisped Prosciutto
Greek Millet Saganaki with Shrimp and Ouzo
RYE: TANGY AND SURPRISINGLY SWEET
Worth Waiting For
“You cook every day?” Whenever this topic comes up, I can hear the gasps of astonishment from friends and colleagues. So many of us have come to regard cooking as a time-consuming hobby, a luxury for the culinarily obsessed. As a result, I have become a bit embarrassed to admit that I do indeed cook every day. But my dinners are modest. I do not sit down to homemade pasta or an elaborate slow-braised stew every night. Most weeknights, I simply cook with whatever is on hand from my once-a-week shopping trip. If only it wouldn’t take so long, right? Like most of us, I enter the kitchen after a long workday tired and famished, with a capital F. I have to admit that in this state of starvation, a microwaved meal or take-out has real appeal.
So why do I still cook every night? Because cooking compensates and rewards me every time I light the stove. It compensates for the wait with a delicious home-cooked meal. It rewards the time spent stirring the pot with a freshness no take-out can deliver. And, to my own surprise, it restores my energies after an exhausting day at work.
These blissful benefits can come from the simplest meal. They linger in a perfectly seared aromatic steak, served with sautéed greens and crusty bread. They emanate from a classic Roman pasta dish such as cacio e pepe, made from just three ingredients: good-quality olive oil, cracked roasted black pepper, and salty sheep’s milk cheese. Or they can spring from an austere wine-infused mussel stew.
Be it a quick meal on a weeknight or a slow feast for a special occasion, good food is worth the wait. Waiting helps me to appreciate the effort that goes into cooking. Some of the best food memories of my life have been painstakingly awaited: The slow-cooking German beef Rouladen my father would sometimes prepare with their delicate filling of savory bacon and briny cornichons, accompanied by a gravy to die for. The aromas of his signature dish would waft through our house for what