Notes

1. All whole grains can be cooked using a vacuum flask. Place 8 oz grain in a two-pint flask (preferably wide mouthed) and add boiling water almost to the top but leaving 1-inch space between water and flask stopper. To distribute the grain evenly, stir using the handle of a wooden spoon. Close and leave for 8-12 hours. For rice add only 12 fl.oz boiling water and leave for only 8 hours.

Another way to cook grains is the pilaf method. To do this, sauté the grain with minced onion, if liked, in oil, then add stock or water, using approximately twice as much liquid to grain. Cook, covered over a medium to low heat until the liquid is absorbed and the grain is tender. The time is about the same as above. Brown rice, bulgur, barley, millet and wild rice are all good cooked in this way.

Yet another option is using a pressure cooker. This method cuts the cooking time in half. Use twice as much water as grain for pressure-cooking, although bear in mind that harder grains such as rye and wheat will need 4 times the amount of water to grain.

2. Buckwheat is cooked traditionally by the pilaf method, with the addition of a raw egg to the dry grains before the stock or water is added. This removes the need for sautéing in oil and keeps the grains separate during cooking. Use 16-fl.oz liquid for the "egg" method and 40 fl.oz when cooking to use as a cereal.

3. Use the lesser amount of water when you want a stiffer cooked cornmeal.

4. For long grain rice use the larger amount, for medium or short grain use the smaller amount.

5. For these the grains the cooking time may be longer depending on age, location of growth and other factors. Taste test the grains after 1 hour of cooking but remember they will not be as tender as the other grains when cooked; they will have a nice chewy texture. There is a way to shorten the cooking time of these grains. Bring to the boil in the required amount of water, boil for 10 minutes, then leave in this water to soak for 8-12 hours, after this soak they can be cooked for 15 –20 minutes and will be tender enough to eat.

One more tip; to enhance flavour and shorten cooking time "toast" the grains in a heavy frying pan (dry) stirring constantly until they turn a darker colour and have a pleasant fragrance. After this process you can also crack the grains or grind them coarsely in an electric blender.

Often reserved for soup or beer making, barley makes a delicious pilaf when cooked with chicken broth and mixed with onion and mushroom. You can also keep the water you use to cook barley and serve it as a refreshing drink flavoured with fruit, honey or herbs, according to taste.

Here is a recipe that uses barley, choose pot barley (the whole grain) or pearl barley for less cooking time.

• ½ cup barley 1 small onion, minced
• 1tbsp butter 2 cups chicken stock
• ¼ tsp dried dill weed ¼tsp dried mint
• ¼ tsp ground coriander 1 tbsp rye or whole-wheat flour
• 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup yogurt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice parsley & mint, chopped

1. Cook barley using preferred method.
2. In a large stockpot, sauté the onion in the butter. Add the chicken stock.
3. Heat the chicken stock to boiling and stir in the cooked barley, with the remaining cooking water or liquid.
4. Blend the flour into the eggs and carefully stir in the yogurt.
5. Add a little of the hot stock to the egg mix, being careful to stir it in gradually to avoid scrambling the eggs.
6. Pour this mixture back into the soup and stir in the lemon juice. Keep hot at this point but do not boil.
7. Add the parsley and mint just before serving.

Buckwheat is probably most popular in Russia; where it is used to make various dishes such as blini, paper thin crepes, served eight or ten at a time.

Buckwheat is usually sold as hulled kernels, whole or crushed, roasted or un-roasted.

The following recipe was chosen as I thought it was a slightly different way to use the grain.

• 2½ cups milk ½ cup buckwheat
• ⅓ cup Cheddar cheese, grated 4 egg yolks, beaten
• 1½ tsp prepared mustard 1 tbsp Tamari soy sauce
• 4 egg whites

1. Heat the milk in a medium sized saucepan, add the buckwheat and bring to the boil stirring continuously.
2. Cover and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.
3. Add the cheese, stirring until melted. Remove from the heat and pour over the egg yolks, stirring until well blended. Add the mustard and the Tamari. Allow to cool.
4. Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4.
5. Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the cooled mixture.
6. Turn into an un-greased soufflé dish.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until firm to the touch. Serve immediately.

 

Lot’s of us probably already eat plenty of corn in various ways, for example cornflakes, corn crisps etc. In other parts of the world cornmeal is very popular. In Italy for example, Polenta is made from yellow (coarse) cornmeal and often replaces bread. Boosted with cheese, tomato sauce, cream, mushrooms or any tasty way of nutritional support. You may wonder whether to choose white or yellow cornmeal. Actually there is very little difference in taste, white cornmeal may be slightly rougher in texture when cooked, but that is all.

Here is a recipe using cornmeal, which I hope you will like.

4 cups milk ¼ cup butter

⅔ cup molasses 3 tbsp honey

⅔ cup cornmeal ¾ tsp each, cinnamon & nutmeg

The ancient Romans ate millet grain paste and the early Chinese people made pancakes from millet meal. In Africa millet is a common staple food, but sadly, in this country and the US we do not know millet so well and therefore do not use it as much. Used as a cereal, millet can be cooked in the same way as rice and then topped with fruit, honey or maple syrup. You can also cook it in milk to enhance the protein element and also make it more digestible.

Millet may be used wherever any other grain might be used. Use it as a stuffing, thickener, in a stew or instead of potatoes. It can also be made into a milk pudding or soufflé, simple but elegant.

• 2 cups water
• ½ cup millet meal (millet grain, ground in a blender)
• 3tbsp oil 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup cashews, ground 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• ⅔ cup wheatgerm ½ cup skimmed milk powder
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped ¼ cup pimento, chopped
• ½ cup water pinch each, sage, rosemary, marjoram &mace

Back in the 19^th century, universities in Scotland observed a traditional "Oatmeal Monday" – when the parents of poor students brought them a sack of oatmeal to insure their sons nourishment through the harsh winter term. Few foods were better at seeing the young men through a Scottish winter.

In Switzerland oats are used as a base for muesli, as we know, a mixture of fruit and nuts. Did you know that Dr. R. Bircher-Benner created muesli in the 19th century as a healthy alternative to the rich, starch filled foods favoured by the Swiss at that time?

The next recipe is offered as a change from normal burgers. A healthier alternative and suitable for vegetarians. Why not try these Oatmeal Burgers; you never know you may prefer them to meat.

Simply cook 1 cup of brown rice using your preferred method and combine this with ⅓ cup each of chopped green pepper, chopped onion and chopped celery. Mix well and then add 1 beaten egg* and ⅓ cup each of cornmeal, rolled oats (porridge oats) and wheatgerm. Mix well again and then form into burger shapes.

Mix 2tbsp rye flour with 2tbsp wheatgerm and dust each burger with this mixture. Sprinkle with 1tbsp Tamari soy sauce.

Heat 2tbsp oil in a pan and brown the burgers on each side. If liked, place a slice of cheese on the burger after you have cooked the first side and turned it over.

*For those trying to reduce cholesterol, use egg white only.

Rye has emerged from a weed in the wheat fields and is now a more popular grain. The Germans love Pumpernickel bread, made from rye flour and dark molasses. Do you ever eat crispbreads? You probably know they originate from Scandinavia. There they are called "kas" or "knacke" and they are made from whole rye flour.

Many people ask how to make rye bread, so here is a Swedish recipe.

• 4tsp dried yeast ½ cup lukewarm water
• ⅓ cup honey 1tbsp orange rind, grated
• 1tsp each aniseed and caraway seeds
• ⅓ cup molasses 2tbsp oil
• 1¼ cups hot water 4 cups rye flour
• 2½ cups wholemeal flour 1 egg, lightly beaten with ½tsp water

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm water, add 1tsp honey and leave for 5-10 minutes to ferment.
2. While waiting for the fermentation, put the rest of the honey, orange rind, aniseed, caraway, molasses and oil into a large bowl. Pour hot water in and mix well.
3. Blend 1 cup of rye flour into this mixture and beat until smooth.
4. Stir the yeast into this mixture, again beating well.
5. Add the remaining rye flour and mix until smooth. Beat in the wholemeal flour using a spoon (turn out to board and knead in the rest of the flour if needed)
6. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
7. Knead until the dough is smooth and not sticky.
8. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
9. Knock back, cover again and leave to rise as above.
10. Shape into two loaves and place in loaf tins or on baking sheets. Brush with beaten egg and leave to rise for 30 minutes or so.
11. Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a deep golden brown.
12. Remove from tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.

NOTE: unlike normal bread, which goes stale if refrigerated this bread should be stored in the fridge.

We will not discuss wheat flour here as we all know and use it either as white flour or wholemeal (also known as wholewheat). If you need to know more about flour, e-mail for an information sheet, which also includes 2 basic bread recipes.

If you’d like to use whole-wheat grains, other than in wheat bags, follow the cooking chart (see Part One) to cook them. You may wonder exactly what bulgur wheat is. It is simply wheat grains boiled and left to try (traditionally, in the Middle East, in the sun) and then crushed with a mortar and pestle. Of course the bulgur wheat we buy is more likely to have been prepared by machines. Tabouli (Tabooli) is a finer grind, soaked briefly and then mixed, raw, with parsley, mint and chopped green onions. It is then seasoned with olive oil and lemon juice. "Kibbi", a popular Middle Eastern dish, is a coarse grind of bulgur mixed with a spicy mixture of ground lamb and minced onion served raw or cooked. The lamb and bulgur are ground with a mortar and pestle, in the ancient way, ending with a soft mix that is patted into flat cakes and eaten scooped up with bits of traditional flatbread.

As I’ve already said, in the West, the various grades are made by machine, pre-cooked then dried it stores well and because it is minimally processed it retains the nutrients that whole wheat brings-rich protein, iron, riboflavin, niacin and thiamine. Like other grains, bulgur is good with basic cooking. Cook in twice its volume of water (like rice). Bulgur is a good substitute for beans, chickpeas, potatoes and rice.