Grains

I just got a fabulous new cookbook, Whole Grains Everyday, by Lorna Sass. The book does an amazing job of reviewing the various grain types, the forms they come in, and how they are used. It is organized extremely well, and the recipe section and photos are inspiring. For each recipe, there are listed alternate grains that can be used, which is good since most of us likely don't have an entire pantry full of all the grains included in the book. That being said, after looking at this book, I certainly wish that I did. Also extremely helpful is the chart on cooking different grains in the pressure cooker; I really do think the pressure cooker is a major enabler for grain cooking (among other things). I ate this delicious salad for lunch today -

Wheatberry salad with apples and mint (adapted from Whole Grains Every Day, by Lorna Sass)
1/2C. fresh-squeezed orange juice (~1-2 oranges, depending on the size)
1/2t. orange zest
1/2-3/4C. chopped fresh mint
2T. olive oil
1/2t. salt
1 1/2T. apple cider vinegar
2C. cooked wheatberries
2 apples, cored and chopped
1/2C. pecans, coarsely chopped (hazelnuts or walnuts would also be good)

Blend orange juice, mint, olive oil, vinegar and salt in blender. Combine mixture with wheatberries and orange zest and let sit at room temperature 15-20 minutes. Taste and add additional salt if necessary. Stir in chopped apples and nuts and serve. Makes 2 generous main-dish servings, or 4 sides.

pressure cooker

At my request, my mother bought us a pressure cooker for Christmas. Up until recently, had anyone asked me about pressure cooking, I would have given the vague reply that my mom used to can things in hers. I can picture it on her stove, the steam vent spinning and sputtering around on the top, emitting a steady line of steam. Several years ago there was an incident in which the cooker got stuck shut with a whole batch of what my mom said was her best sauerkraut. My dad was able to rescue the kraut by sawing off the top somehow, but she had to get a new pressure cooker. I didn't want it so much to can things, but to cook things rapidly, specifically beans and whole grains. I like to buy beans dried, both because they are cheaper, and often tastier, but I often forget to soak them in advance. Thus, the pressure cooker. In the fast few days, we cooked wheatberries (only 30 minutes!) and collard greens (20!). I also discovered that our cookbook, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (Deborah Madison) has many variations for using the pressure cooker. My model is especially nice, because it doesn't use the stove, has low/high pressure, and saute and slow-cooking functions.