Couscous
Although couscous has a culinary role similar to that of a grain and it is derived from grain, it definitely is not one unto itself; it"s actually more similar to pasta. It"s made by rolling moist wheat and flour in a wide, shallow bowl until the characteristic pebblelike couscous shape is formed. Because it"s so filling, cooks so fast, and tastes so yummers, this African staple has become a permanent fixture in the American diet. Its neutral taste and fluffy texture makes it extremely versatile for any meal, sweet or savory. There are lots of different flavors of couscous on the market, such as pesto or sundried tomato, but we prefer regular or whole wheat.
Cooking time: 10 minutes To serve 4: 1 cup couscous, teaspoon salt, 1 cup water Cook: Place the couscous and salt in a pot with a tightly fitting lid. Bring about 1 cups water to a boil in a teapot. Measure out 1 cup of water and pour over the couscous. Cover and let sit for about 5 minutes. The couscous should be soft. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Kasha
Favored in Eastern European recipes for centuries, kasha is the whole, toasted kernels (also known as groats) of the buckwheat plant. In its untoasted form, buckwheat is also used to make soba noodles in Asian cuisine. But when toasted, buckwheat groats are strictly called kasha. Kasha has an intense earthy taste that may remind some of the smell of wet autumn leaves, but we savor its complex, hearty flavor and deep color. It goes well with other savory earthy foods, such as mushrooms and beets, and you"ll feel like a Russian princess if you eat it covered in mushroom gravy. Also look for silky buckwheat flour, great in pancakes and essential for Buckwheat Blini (page 58) and Buckwheat Crepes (page 77).
Cooking time: 20 to 25 minutes To serve 4: 2 cups water, 1 cup kasha, teaspoon salt Cook: Bring water and salt to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Turn the heat down very low, add the kasha, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Kasha should be tender but chewy and all the water should be absorbed.
Millet
Nothing says "health food" like millet. It"s one of the more flexible grains. Lightly boiled, it makes for a nice, fluffy dish, as in Mexican Millet (page 118), and when boiled even further you get a soft dough that can be molded like polenta. One of the oldest cereal crops there is, some variety of millet exists on almost every continent and has been popular on and off for thousands of years-maybe its time has come again, and you can say you were eating it before it sold out! It has a slightly sweet, mellow taste that goes well with any meal that brown rice would complement, so add it to your grain rotation tout de suite. Millet doesn"t have to be dry-toasted first, but the flavor and texture really benefit from it, so we give you those directions here.
Cooking time: 30 to 45 minutes To serve 4: 1 cup millet, 2 cups water, teaspoon salt Cook: Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Put in the millet and toast for about 10 minutes, stirring very often, until the millet has turned a few shades darker and smells toasty. Transfer the millet to a pot with a lid, add the water and salt, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat very low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until soft. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Oats
Of course, you"re familiar with oats. We prefer what"s called "quick-cooking" or "rolled" oats, which are different than the magic stuff that"s been sweetened and flavored beyond recognition and cooked with a little boiling water and a snap of your fingers. Quick-cooking oats are whole oats that have been cut smaller so that they, you guessed it, cook quicker! Not just for breakfast, we use oats in baked goods and to add bulk to things like veggie burgers. Since you wouldn"t serve oats as a side dish, we"ll just give you directions for making simple morning oatmeal.
Cooking time: 5 to 10 minutes To serve 4: 2 cups water, 1 cup rolled oats, teaspoon salt. Optional: pinch of cinnamon and a handful raisins or other chopped dried fruit, maple syrup, soy milk Cook: Bring the water to a boil in a lidded pot and add the oats, salt, and cinnamon and fruits if using. Turn down the heat to low and cook uncovered for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the oats are creamy. Remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for a few minutes. Add a touch of maple syrup and soy milk if desired.
Polenta
Polenta has been called many things, each more insulting than the last: cornmeal mush, grits, porridge. But it got a new lease on life in the "90s when foodies started referring to it by its proper name and charging twenty dollars a plate for it. Polenta can be served soft, as a comforting addition to soups and stews, and molded into fancy shapes and grilled or broiled. Or, serve it alongside your scrambled tofu for breakfast-we won"t pretend to be above that. This recipe is for soft and creamy polenta to serve a side dish, not the kind that you mold.
Cooking time: 35 minutes To serve 4: 5 cups water, teaspoon salt, 1 cup polenta Cook: Bring the water and salt to a boil in a pot with a lid. Pour the polenta in very slowly, stirring with a whisk as you pour. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 12 to 15 more minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat and cover for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Quinoa
Cultivated by the Inca for hundreds of years, the mystique of quinoa (p.r.o.nounced "keen-wah") has been taken down a few notches by its placement alongside Uncle Ben"s at many American supermarkets. Quinoa comes in red and brown varieties (which taste exactly the same to us) and has a slightly bitter, nutty taste. We use it often in pilafs, salads, and the occasional m.u.f.fin. It"s especially attractive when cooked; the individual grains look a bit like couscous but the germ forms a pretty translucent ring around each one. Adorable. Quinoa is also a complete protein, which has recently made it something of a darling to the vegan community and health-conscious foodies.
Cooking time: 20 to 25 minutes To serve 4: 2 cups water, 1 cup rinsed and drained quinoa, teaspoon salt Cook: Place all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, turn down the heat to very low and simmer for about 15 minutes. The quinoa should be translucent and the germ ring should be visible. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Complete Proteins EVERYONE has heard the term "complete protein" but we"re willing to wager that vegans hear it more than the rest of the world. Next time people ask you the million-dollar question, "But where do you get your protein?" ask them which essential amino acid they are most concerned about. Most likely they will have no idea what an amino acid is, essential or otherwise, but you will. Proteins are made up of amino acids, many of which our body produces all on its own. Essential amino acids are the ones that our body can not synthesize without the help of the food we eat. So when we refer to proteins as "complete proteins," it just means that all ten of the essential amino acids are present.
Rice
With the exception of the frozen continents, rice has been a staple food for every culture, each with its own laws about how it should be cooked and served, so no matter what directions we give you, someone somewhere will think we"re wrong. If you have your own rice-cooking method handed down to you from your great-grandmother and handed down to her directly from G.o.d, please don"t let our silly instructions to stand in your way. We don"t have rice cookers because every inch of our counter s.p.a.ce is precious real estate, so we give you directions for stove top cooking here. The secret to not burning the rice is very, very, very low heat.
The difference between brown and white rice is that brown rice has not had the bran removed from it, so it is much healthier-more fiber, more vitamins, and more necessary fatty acids. Brown rice has a nuttier flavor and chewier texture, which is often desirable, but in some dishes where a more neutral flavor (read: less healthy rice) is desired, we use white rice. White rice also cooks much faster and is softer and fluffier. Rice is often labeled as long or short grain. Long grain not only refers to the shape of the rice, but to the stickiness of the starch content. Long grain rice is less sticky and often used in fried rice and pilafs. Medium grained rice is relatively sticky and used in paella and risotto. Short grain rice is the stickiest kind, and used for sushi. Sometimes short grained rice is called "glutinous" rice, but the reason for the "quotes" is that they actually don"t contain any gluten, they"re just super sticky. The brown varieties of this rice will always be less sticky than the white.
Dozens of rice varieties are available to us these days, such as black rice and red rice (both unmilled and unpolished rice with the bran intact), but here are a few of the basics that we keep on hand for any rice situation that comes our way. As with other grains, remember to rinse your rice before cooking.
Arborio rice: The favorite rice of Italy, Arborio rice is what gives risotto its succulent creaminess. We love to experiment with different herbs and vegetables to create all manners of risotto, but we don"t suggest serving it alone as a side dish because the effort of all that stirring isn"t worth the return if you"re just cooking it plain, so try our risotto recipes on pages 198 and 199.
Basmati and jasmine rice: We like using both brown and white versions of these two fragrant long-grained rice. If you"ve never made either jasmine or basmati, you"ll marvel at the wonderful b.u.t.tery, popcornlike aroma both produce when cooking. The real beauty of these rices is that they make you feel like you actually put some thought and effort into dinner, when really all you did was turn on the faucet and the burner. They"re perfect for Indian and Thai meals, but we like them with most anything that"s a little bit sweet and fragrant, including BBQ and Mexican food.
For brown varieties Cooking time: 45 to 50 minutes To serve 4: 2 cups water, 1 cup rice, teaspoon salt Cook: Place all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, turn down the heat to very low and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
For white varieties To serve 4: 1 cups water, 1 cup rice, teaspoon salt Cook: Place all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, turn down the heat to very low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Brown Rice, Short-Grained
The healthy stuff. Nutty and slightly sweet, short-grained brown rice is a nutritious staple and will make you feel like you"re eating macrobiotic even if you"ve never touched a piece of seaweed in your whole life. It also makes nice brown-rice sushi.
Cooking time: 45 to 50 minutes To serve 4: 2 cups water, 1 cup rice, teaspoon salt Cook: Place all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, turn down the heat to very low and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Wild Rice
All-American and not really a rice, wild rice is actually a delicious grain from a marsh gra.s.s. The rice is long and a sleek black color and the textured is deliciously chewy. Its earthy flavor and pairs wonderfully with mushrooms and autumnal dishes.
Cooking time: 55 to 60 minutes To serve 4: 2 cups water, 1 cup rice, teaspoon salt Cook: Place all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, turn down the heat to very low and simmer for 55 to 60 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
White Rice, Plain Old
Because sometimes you just want plain old white rice. These directions are of the everyday long-grained kind.
Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes To serve 4: 1 cup water, 1 cup rice, teaspoon salt Cook: Place all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, turn down the heat to very low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
HOW TO COOK A BEAN.
You can"t beat canned beans when it comes to convenience, especially when you have tiny kitchens like we do. But dried beans are way, way cheaper, and there"s a certain amount of satisfaction that comes from doing it the old-fashioned way. Some say the flavor of homemade beans is far more delicate and always lower in sodium (or sodium free) than the canned stuff is. Dried beans can be subst.i.tuted for canned in any of our recipes, but be ye warned: preparation is everything! Dried beans (except for lentils and split peas) need to be soaked overnight before cooking! Sure, you could boil then simmer then rest then boil again the day of, but your beans won"t taste as good and overnight soaking helps dissolve the starches that are the primary source of beans" musical properties. So soak "em! Put your dried beans in a pot with plenty of water (the water should come up two or three inches above the beans), cover, and stash in the fridge until tomorrow. Or, if you"re set on cooking beans that night, why not set them to soak that morning, before you run out the door to catch the train to work?
After the beans have soaked, drain the water, then replace with fresh, cold water (roughly three cups of water to every cup of soaked beans, better too much than too little) and bring to a boil in a pot with a lid. Once the beans are boiling, reduce to a simmer-if you leave them at a boil, they will turn to mush-and cook with the pot"s lid slightly ajar so that steam can escape. How long will depend on the bean; see our guidelines but note that different factors, such as how old the bean is and how dry it is, will affect cooking times. Add a teaspoon of salt to the pot about 20 minutes before the beans are done (don"t do this earlier or they"ll toughen up). Once the beans are nice and tender, drain and use as called for in the recipe. One cup of dried beans will give you roughly three cups cooked (results may vary).
As a resource to you, dear reader, we"ve compiled this mini encyclopedia of beans and their common uses. We recommend cooking a pound of beans at a time, storing in the fridge, and using that week. To help you out, we list a few recipes where the given bean is called for. Bean on!
Adzuki
Sometimes called aduki, sometimes called azuki, besides being incredibly fun to say, these little, deep red beans are fast cooking, low in fat, and nutritious. A popular bean in j.a.pan and China, they have a delicate flavor that"s both sweet and nutty. They"re used in both savory dishes and sweet desserts (even ice cream). They also come in black, for your inner goth.
Cooking time: 1 hour Recipes: b.u.t.ternut Adzuki Coconut-Crusted Croquettes; Acorn Squash, Pear, and Adzuki Soup with Sauteed Shiitakes
Black Beans
Billions of burritos can"t be wrong. Black beans may very well be the most popular bean in vegetarian cooking. Very popular in many Latin American and Caribbean countries, but a true workhorse of a bean, good in just about everything from breakfast to dinner. These dense and meaty beans are also known as turtle beans, don"t ask us why.
Cooking time: 1 hours Recipes: Black Bean Vegetable Soup, Acorn Squash and Black Bean Empanadas, Black Bean Burgers, Quinoa Salad with Mango and Black Beans, Grilled Yucca Tortillas (Black Bean variation)
Black-Eyed Peas
These beans got soul. Tasty and cute, they"re cream-colored beans with their namesake black spot that watches your every move. We like them worked into barbecue-themed foods and anything particularly saucy and/or spicy in American Southern, Caribbean, and African cuisines.
Cooking time: 1 hour Recipes: Black-Eyed Pea-Collard Rolls