Go with the Grains

            Couscous, quinoa, bulgur…No, I have not joined a New Age dance community to chase the winter blahs. Rather I’m exploring the culinary possibilities of these ancient grains that recently have come again to the attention of foodies everywhere. Suddenly in chic restaurants you may find your lamb chop on a bed of quinoa where previously it may have been lentils, a shrimp ragout served on a bed of couscous, where previously it might have been polenta and bulgur wheat is cropping up in a variety of Mediterranean dishes such as kibbeh with ground lamb and not just tabouleh.

            Couscous is a long time Mediterranean staple from western North Africa to southern France.  It is actually derived from crushed unground semolina wheat, just like other pasta, but undergoes further cycles of moistening and steaming before it ends up on our plates. It is steamed, never boiled and stirred, or the product is likely to be a gluey mush.  Couscous prepared ‘properly’ would be steamed over a pot of simmering stew or in a couscousière for nearly an hour, spread out to slightly dry, then returned to steam for another 30 minutes to finally yield a dry-steaming serving, when stirred with a fork.

Fortunately for the modern cook, Moroccan or fine couscous, roughly the size 3 times cornmeal, requires very little effort. You simply bring to boil 1 cup of water or broth with 1 Tblsp. butter, salt to taste, stir in 1 cup of couscous, cover, remove from heat, allow to sit for 5 minutes, fluff lightly with a fork and serve. It may not have the ultimate flavor of the long steamed version, but since couscous like grits has little flavor itself, the success of your meal is going to depend on the topping or other flavoring agents you add, such as parmesan, dried currants and pine nuts or even chopped sun dried tomatoes. My favorite topping is mushrooms, sautéed with chopped onion for 15 minutes, stir in 1 Tblsp. lemon juice and chopped soppressata or other spicy sausage. ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes.  When heated through,  sprinkle with 1-2 Tblsp. flour, slowly stir in 1 cup of beef broth and cook with stirring until thickened. Serve ragout on top of couscous.

There are two other types of couscous, Israeli or pearl couscous, which is about the size of peppercorns and Lebanese, the size of small peas. Both of these require more preparation and can be cooked like rice or as risotto on very low heat.

Quinoa, like potatoes, originated in the Peruvian Andes. It is a pseudo-cereal since it does not belong to grasses and unlike cereals it contains the essential amino acid lysine and is high in protein content.  Like other members of the Amaranth family it bears large seed clusters. It’s closest relatives are beets and spinach. The seed is processed to remove the bitter saponin coat, so the seed needs to be rinsed before cooking.  To cook, simply rinse and drain 1 cup of quinoa, add to 1 ½ cups cold water, ¼ tsp. salt, bring to boil, turn down the heat and cook for 15 minutes.  The seed produces a slightly crunchy dish, looking a bit like large couscous and can be used as a side dish for meat or vegetables.  It makes a hearty salad with 1 cup drained and rinsed black beans, chopped red pepper, 5 chopped scallions, and a lime-cumin vinaigrette (2 Tblsp. lime juice, 1 tsp. red wine vinegar, ½ tsp. ground roasted cumin, salt and pepper to taste, 1 Tblsp. olive oil).

Bulgur wheat is a natural whole grain cereal that is cracked and partially processed to shorten cooking time. A staple of Mediterranean diet, it is now estimated by archaeologists that early Neolithic Bulgarians may have used this cooking method as early as 5730 BC, as found in grain excavations. Bronze age fragmented cereal and grain has been found also in Northern Greece. In current use the fine grain bulgur cooks in about 5 minutes and is used in kibbe preparations with ground lamb. Medium is used in tabbouleh after soaking 1 cup bulgur with 2 cups boiling water, draining off excess before stirring in: 1/3 cup lemon juice, 3 Tblsp. light olive oil, 1 tsp. wine vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, 1 cup chopped parsley, ¼ cup chopped mint, 2 chopped tomatoes, 3 chopped scallions with green tops. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to allow blending of flavors before serving.

Coarse bulgur adds it’s nutty flavor in soups, stews, salads and pilafs. At our house we sometimes use it as a delicious hot breakfast cereal, instead of oatmeal. Simply bring 2 cups of water to boil with ½ tsp. of salt, stir in 1 cup of bulgur and cook slowly with occasional stirring for 15 minutes.

Exploring these cyclical discoveries by new/old food trends has been a fascinating learning experience and a delicious way to chase the winter blahs!

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)