Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More

457 Pages·2011·5.65 MB·English

by  Maria Speck

Copyright © 2011 by Maria Speck
Photographs copyright © 2011 by Sara Remington
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a
division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com
Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Excerpt from The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again copyright © 1975 by
Andy Warhol, reprinted in the United States and its territories by permission of Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt, outside of the United States by permission of Penguin Books Ltd., and reprinted
electronically by permission of The Wylie Agency LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Speck, Maria.
Ancient grains for modern meals : Mediterranean whole grain recipes for barley, farro, kamut,
polenta, wheat berries & more / Maria Speck.
p. cm.
Summary: “A whole-grain cookbook featuring well-balanced and wholesome recipes inspired by
the Mediterranean cuisines of Greece, southern France, Italy, and Turkey”—Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-58008-354-6 (hardback)
1. Cooking (Cereals) 2. Grain. 3. Cooking, Mediterranean. 4. Cookbooks. I. Title.
TX808.S665 2011
641.59822—dc22
2010045867
eISBN: 978-0-307-58736-7
Food styling by Katie Christ
Prop styling by Nyssa Quanstrom
v3.1
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Glamour of Whole Grains
MUSINGS ON HEALTH, DIETING, AND GOOD EATING • THE
WHOLE GRAINS ON MY TABLE • KITCHEN BASICS FOR WHOLE
GRAINS • BAKING BASICS FOR WHOLE GRAIN FLOURS •
EQUIPMENT • INGREDIENTS
CHAPTER 1 BREAKFAST, BRUNCH, & BREADS
CHAPTER 2 SALADS & SIDES
CHAPTER 3 SOUPS & STEWS
CHAPTER 4 BURGERS, SAVORY CAKES, & MORE
CHAPTER 5 PASTA
CHAPTER 6 MODERN MAINS
CHAPTER 7 SWEET ENDINGS
Sources
Bibliography
Index

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THIS BOOK GREW OUT OF A BRIOCHE. Actually, it was a plate of butter-rich whole
wheat brioches, ever so slightly sweet and risen slowly overnight. I had baked
these soft, chewy beauties for Sunday brunch with friends almost exactly ten
years ago, another one of my many efforts to transform the world into one planet
of whole grain lovers. Our friend Isabel Bradburn soon raved about James
Beard, the American icon and a name I had never heard before, and popped the
life-changing question: “Why don’t you write a cookbook?” To which I replied,
“What?”
At the time, I was a foreign journalist, covering technology and society stories
for German magazines. English was my third language, after my native German
and Greek. And I had never published in the United States. Forget about any
expertise in food writing. Well, little did I know that indeed I would write a
cookbook one day, and how hard it would be.
Professionally, many people helped along the way. First, my editor at
Germany’s Stern magazine, Bert Gamerschlag, who supported my midcareer
change to a budding food writer from the day I started pitching stories to him. In
the United States, Darra Goldstein gave me the opportunity to write about my
lifelong passion for whole grains in a piece for Gastronomica. Equally, Jim
Oseland, in his unpretentious way, welcomed a piece on whole wheat German
Pfeffernüsse cookies in Saveur. Both stories paved the way to a newfound love
of writing in English that surprised even me. And Toni Allegra invited me to
speak at, and later to occasionally host, the IACP-Teleforum, a national phone
conference for food writers.
For this book, Rachel Laudan shared her knowledge on polenta’s historical
uses, and introduced me to the unforgettable term nixtamalization. Anne Willan
answered questions about whole grains with her signature friendliness—despite
the fact that we had never met before. Elizabeth Andoh helped with thoughtful
advice on recipe testing. For lively exchanges on many matters of food, I thank
Paula Wolfert, Grace Young, CiCi Williamson, and food writer extraordinaire
David Leite. Roberta Dowling, founder of the Cambridge School of Culinary
Arts, and Sean Leonard supported my teaching throughout.
I would like to thank Lisa Ekus-Saffer, who connected me, a first-time author,
with my dynamo of an agent, Jenni Ferrari-Adler. Jenni not only grasped my
vision for this book in an instant, but she also pushed my proposal out the door
at lightning speed—while I honed my French cooking skills at the Culinary
Institute of America. Jenni patiently helped me understand the U.S. publishing
world and provided support whenever a crisis hit. To top it all off, she made the
time in her busy schedule to try and test some of my whole grain recipes.
My passion for food I owe to my Greek mom, Theochanthi, who has always
cooked for us, regardless of how difficult life would turn at times. And she
continues to do so. Her single-minded obsession with the beauty and simplicity
of good food ignited my own love affair with all things edible. As I’m writing
this, I miss my German dad, Paul, who was one of the very few dedicated
carnivores I know who embraced whole grains for what they are—delicious.
Last but not least, my late Greek grandma, who, for lack of space, covered the
furniture in her elegant living room with her own handmade made phyllo dough,
and whose craft is my inspiration.
As a first-time book author, I am especially grateful to my testers, who
provided their feedback on many of the recipes, first and foremost the tireless
Karen Levendusky. Karen and her husband, Joe, have literally eaten through this
book with a curiosity and openness to whole grains that I will never forget. From
the moment she learned of this project, Karen said in her understated way, “Send
me whatever you have and I’ll try it.” With an editor’s eye, she pointed out
missing teaspoons, ingredients, or any other matters that inevitably got jumbled
during the endless testing, retesting, and tweaking of recipes. And she worked
with the precision of Sherlock Holmes, measuring the size of bulgur kernels,
timing the seconds for grinding sesame seeds, and providing uplifting feedback
throughout. Thank you.
My thanks go also to Vivian Liu, whose critical palate challenged me more
than once to go back to the drawing board. Many more people lent a hand in the
process: my sister-in-law Yasmin Dharamsi, Dharni Vasudevan, Diane
Asadorian, Myrna Greenfield, Lindsay Haugland, and—who knew—even our
own amazing real estate agent, Marsha Price, who, along with her daughter
Gabrielle Rosenfeld, kept my spirits up.
Personal support came from people who believed in this book—even as the
rejection letters from agents kept streaming in: my friends Bea Giersig, Lucia
Glahn-Kussel, and Jutta Werner. Edward and Lisabeth Weisband were convinced
that my whole grain passion would ride out the tough years when the nation
went low-carb. My friend Katrina Heron intently listened to all the obstacles and
always came up with new ideas on how to move on. I thank my Italian friend
Alessandra Campana for her fun-loving approach to making pasta and
immensely good cheer throughout, and Thomas Peattie, who kept the wine
coming (one with violet notes!) for our dinners together. And Hildegard
Eisenmann who brought the whole grains of my childhood back into my life—
little did she know at the time what a profound transformation would follow.
I will be forever grateful to master baker Greg Patent, whose late career
change inspired my own. He saw a first draft of my proposal, joyously prodded
me along, and provided support throughout; and to my colleague and super-
talented pastry chef, Julie Usher, for her friendship.
More than anything, a cookbook writer needs eaters: thank you to enthusiastic
dining companions and friends Marion Fremont-Smith, Oonagh Breen, Jane
Nelson, Vera Coelho, Michelle Johnson, Golnaz Tabatabai and her son Hassan,
Kate Scott and her daughter Jiao Jiao, and the Khwaja family with Sehr, Asim,
Aman, and Nuriya; and to Ali Asani and Bapa, who always picked at his dinner
plate like a bird until he died at the age of eighty-one, but ate every whole grain
dish I put in front of him, surprising even himself. And the homeless men of the
Cambridge First Church Shelter who graciously accepted any overflow from my
kitchen, the good, the mediocre, and the less-than-perfect.
A generous thank-you also goes to the friendly and helpful staff at Bob’s Red
Mill and at the King Arthur Flour Company, who not only shipped boxes of
whole grain flours and grains to my door for endless rounds of testing, but also
answered many questions along the way. And I’m grateful that I live around the
corner from Evergood Market in Cambridge, which is somehow always open
when I need one more ingredient for last-minute testing.
This book would not have come to life without the support of my publisher,
Ten Speed Press. Three editors accompanied me along the way to bring it to
fruition: Melissa Moore, Dawn Yanagihara, and Jenny Wapner, who took over
late in the process but nevertheless provided encouragement and positive
feedback until the end. Editorial director Julie Bennett provided backing at a
crucial moment. I would like to extend a special thank-you to creative director,
Nancy Austin, who helped translate my passion to the pages of this book, and to
photographer Sara Remington, who teamed with food stylist Katie Christ to fill
it with delectable food and the fresh, modern look I believe whole grains
deserve. Copy editor Abigail Bok polished my words even further, and I also
benefited from the clear-eyed proofreader Jean Blomquist. When I signed my
contract with Ten Speed Press, a personal dream came full circle: this was the
publisher I always wanted, and little did I know how many turns and twists life
would throw my way before I finally could write for them.
While I was working on this book, America’s own Julia Child was often on
my mind. She once sat nearby at a conference, surrounded by fans, while I was
rather clueless. I learned much about her life later, last but not least when I
moved into her Cambridge neighborhood and started shopping at her butcher,
Savenor’s Market, which provided meat and fish for this book. Her much-quoted
wisdom, “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream” has been an inspiration,
reminding me how important good ingredients are to good cooking whenever the
health police in the back of my head started screaming.
And to my husband, Alnoor, whose fine palate and unwavering appetite is a
food writer’s dream, and who never relented.
“Progress is very important and exciting in everything except food.”
—
ANDY WARHOL