Photo by Frank Pronesti.
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Grains. Top row: millet, red quinoa, kamut; bot-tom row: spelt, quinoa.
Photo by Frank Pronesti.
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108 Chapter 3 Carbohydrates
F I G U R E 3 - 1 9 :
Rice. Top row: converted white rice, short-grain brown rice, wild rice; bottom row: basmati rice, long-grain brown rice, Arborio rice.
Photo by Frank Pronesti.
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Rice. Top row: purple Thai rice, Chinese black rice, jasmine rice; bottom row: bamboo rice, sushi rice, Himalayan red rice.
Photo by Frank Pronesti.
• Orzo works well with toasted barley or quinoa and a mixture of roasted vegetables and fresh herbs.
• Rice and beans is a very popular and versatile dish using grains and legumes. For appearance, mix purple rice with a variety of beans or wild rice with cranberry beans and fava beans. Each of these mix-tures can be seasoned in a number of ways. A balanced dressing can be used for a cold salad as well as a hot accompaniment.
• Don’t forget to serve whole-grain cereals hot and cold, from simple steel-cut oatmeal to cold favorites such as corn flakes. Also, dress them up with berries, fruits, and spices. Steel-cut oats are whole-grain groats (the inner portion of the oat kernel) that have been cut into two or three pieces using steel discs. Gold in color, they look like little pieces of rice. Rolled oats are flakes that have been steamed, rolled, and toasted. Due to this process, they have lost some taste and texture.
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Legumes 109
C H E F ’ S T I P S
L E G U M E S
Legumes include all sorts of dried beans, peas, and lentils. Dried beans are among the oldest foods and are an important staple for millions of people in other parts of the world. Beans were once considered to be worth their weight in gold—the jeweler’s carat owes its origin to a pealike bean on the east coast of Africa.
Nutrition
From a nutritional point of view, legumes are a hit. They are:
• High in complex carbohydrates
• High in fiber
• Low in fat (only a trace, except in a couple of cases)
• Cholesterol-free
• A good source of vitamins and minerals
• Low in sodium
Besides being so nutritious, they are very cost-effective.
• See Figure 3-21 for information on flavor, uses, and cooking times for many legumes.
•Figures 3-22 and 3-23 highlight many popular legumes.
•When choosing legumes for a dish, think color and flavor. Make sure the colors you pick will look good when the dish is complete. Also think of other ingredients you will use for flavor. In a salad, for example, black-eyed peas (black and white) go well with flageolets and red adzuki beans. To add a little more color and develop the flavor, you might add chopped tomatoes, fresh cilantro (Chinese parsley), and haricots verts (green beans) or fresh corn.
•Bigger beans, such as gigante white beans, hold their shape well and lend a hearty flavor to stews, ragouts, and salads.
•Chickpeas can be puréed, as in hummus, and used as a dip, a spread, or a sandwich filling; layered with grilled vegetables and mushrooms; or as a filling for pasta, crêpes, or twice-baked potatoes. They can be soaked in changed water for three to four days in the refrigerator, seasoned and puréed, and then pressed into a half-sheet pan and cut into french fry shapes. You can coat them in yogurt and sea-soned crumbs and bake at a high temperature as a crisp substitute for french fries.
•To enhance their flavor, cook several types of beans together, such as cranberry, turtle, and white beans, in stock flavored with herbs, shallots, onions, carrots, and celery. Presoaking dried beans helps remove some of the complex sugars they contain that can cause flatulence (gas).
•A number of dried beans are also available fresh: cannellini beans, cranberry beans, fava beans, black-eyed peas, flageolets, lima beans, mung beans, and soybeans. They tend to be expensive but are excellent products. They are plumper and have a fresher flavor than dry beans that you rehydrate.
•Use whole lentils, such as black or French green lentils, in grain dishes or salads because whole lentils hold their shape better. Use split lentils, such as brown, red, or yellow lentils, in soups, where they help thicken the liquid and shape is not as important.
•Pasta and beans work well together, as in pasta e fagioli, a rich Italian vegetable soup with pasta and beans.
There are many variations of this classic dish due to its nourishing value and spectacular taste. Many other ethnic groups have similar traditional dishes associated with pasta and beans or rice and beans for their ver-satility of preparations, health benefits, cost factors, history, and utilization of a region’s products.
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110
FIGURE3-21:
Legumes: Flavors, Uses, and Cooking T imes Cups Liquid Bean, P ea, Soaking Cooking for Cups or Lentil Size/Shape/Color Flavor Required Time Cooking Y ield* Uses
Adzuki beansSmall, reddish brownNutty, sweetYes1–11 ⁄232Asian cooking hours Anasazi beansKidney-shaped, whiteRich, meatyYes2 hours32Chili and other Mexican with maroondishes Black beans (turtleSmall, pea-shaped,Full, mellowYes11 ⁄2 hours42Mediterranean cuisine, beans)blacksoups (black bean soup), chilis, salads, with rice Black-eyed peasSmall, oval, Earthy, absorbNo50–6032Casseroles, with rice, (cowpeas, black-eyedwhite with black spotother flavorsminuteswith pork, Southern beans)creamydishes Chickpeas (garbanzoRound, tan, largeNuttyYes21 ⁄2 hours44Salads, soups, beans, ceci)casseroles, hors d’oeuvres, hummus and other Middle East dishes Fava beans, wholeLarge, round, flat, FullYes3 hours21 ⁄24Soups, casseroles, off-white or tansalads Great Northern beansLarge, oval, whiteMildYes11 ⁄2 hours31 ⁄22Soups, casseroles, baked beans, and mixing with other varieties Kidney beansLarge, kidney-shapedRich, meaty,Yes1–11 ⁄232Chili, casseroles, red or white (red issweethourssalads, soups, a much more common)favorite in Mexican and Italian cookingJWCL138_ch03_081-124.qxd 3/30/09 1:21 PM Page 110
111 LentilsSmall, flat, disk-Mild, earthyNo30–45221 ⁄4Soups, stews, salads, shaped, green, red, orminutescasseroles, stuffing, brown, split or wholesandwiches, spreads, with rice Lima beansFlat, oval, cream orFull (large)Yes11 ⁄2211 ⁄4Soups, casseroles, greenish, large or babymild (baby)hoursside dishes size(large); 1 hour (baby) Navy beans (pea beans)Small to medium, roundMildYes11 ⁄232Baked beans, soups, to oval, whitehourssalads, side dishes, casseroles Peas, splitSmall, flat on one side,Rich, earthyNo30321 ⁄4Soups, casseroles green or yellowminutes Peas, wholeSmall to medium, round,Rich, earthyYes40321 ⁄4Soups, casseroles, yellow or greenminutesScandinavian dishes Pinto beansMedium, kidney-Rich, meatyYes11 ⁄232A favorite for chili, shaped, pinkish brownhoursrefried beans, other Mexican cooking Pink beansMedium, oval, pinkishRich, meatyYes1 hour32Popular in barbecue- brownstyle dishes SoybeansMedium, oval-round,DistinctiveYes31 ⁄232Soups, stews, creamy yellowhours orcasseroles more *From 1 cup of uncooked beans, peas, or lentils.
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