Smokin’ Links: unusual grain recipes
Corn and Amaranth Cakes. Photo: Fine Cooking (Feb. 2011)
I’m always reading about interesting grains like teff and amaranth. Sometimes I even buy them. But they seem to just sit in the fridge because I’m not quite sure what to use them for. Even grains I’m more familiar with, like millet, tend to be underutilized in my kitchen. Well, that’s going to change, because I rounded up some amazing-sounding recipes featuring off-the-beaten-path grains. I hope they inspire you to move beyond brown rice in the coming weeks, too.
In addition to teff, amaranth and millet recipes, I’m including an intriguing recipe for Purple Barley Risotto with Cauliflower created by one of my cooking heroes, Martha Rose Shulman. But Martha, where in the world can I buy purple barley? I’ll have to check at Whole Foods. Meanwhile, if you have luck finding it, please report back!
Recipes to expand your whole grain repertoire:
Corn and Amaranth Griddle Cakes with Spicy Black Beans adapted by The Bitten Word from a fab article in Fine Cooking. (Recommend substituting a heart-healthier oil for the butter.)
Turkish Millet with Garden Fresh Greens from Veg Kitchen
Purple Barley Risotto with Cauliflower from Martha Rose Schulman’s Recipes for Health column
Teff Date-Nut Coffee Quick Bread from Kitchen Therapy
Spiced Almond Amaranth Pudding from The Spiced Plate
Check it out – Lorna Sass’ great cookbook, Whole Grains, Every Day Every Way is on sale, and you can get it right here at my shiny new Amazon store.
Thank you for this. I’ve recently started trying new “exotic” grains. These recipes all sound fabulous, the amaranth almond baked pudding especially looks fabulous
I keep meaning to try “popped amaranth” too as a breakfast cereal.
Thanks, Emma. Let me know if you make that pudding!
Thanks for the link Cathy, and the introduction to your lovely blog. We have other grain recipes at Kitchen Therapy too, all gluten free.
Glad you like it, Linda. Your Kitchen Therapy blog is pretty awesome, too!
I’m so glad you’ll be featuring different grains. I eat lots of brown rice, wheat berries, oats, and barley, but that’s about the extent of it. The only time I ventured to try new grains was when I tried quinoa, but when it gave me a stomach ache, I got scared off!
I look forward to trying some of these. (And thanks for stopping by my site and leaving your input. I am going to see about adding some of the info you suggested. Thanks for the input!)
— Rivki
I bake all the time with a number of whole grain flours but I rarely use whole grains themselves! That said, whole grain flours are amazing. I eat gluten but being forced to bake gluten free for friends who are allergic or celiac has made me realize that there is whole world of flours out there to use. Now baking with all purpose wheat flour feels like painting with the color white. Sometimes it makes sense, but a lot of times it doesn’t.
Thanks for the comment, Irvin. Love your blog, by the way!
I am also going through a whole grain phase.
Love your round-up!
you should try birdfeed
I’m a cook at a restaurant and we use their blend of Exotic Grains. Just wanted to know if you have a recipe for that? Thinking maybe I could make it insted of buying this prepackaged item. Like doing more from scratch than prepared items. Thank you for your time and have a great day.
My boyfriend was shocked it did not have any meat in it! Like the recipe states, it definitely gets better as it ages…it was good after first making it but 2 days later and it is absolutely the best taste…I want to make more this coming weekend!!
Thank you so much for sharing this content!