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| Grain measurers depicted in their guild seat - Ostia - Harbor City of Ancient Rome |
If you have not invested
in a rice cooker yet, perhaps it is time. They work. They make preparation of rice,
grasses and grains easy. Today’s fuzzy-logic rice cookers have computer chips
that make proper adjustments to cooking time and temperature. Set it, forget
it.
Wild rice is a grass seed
with a nutty taste. Ferro (spelt) is wheat grain that has a complex, nutty
taste with undertones of oats and barley. Barley is a cereal grain with a rich
nutlike flavor and an appealing chewy, pasta-like consistency. The three in
combination are delicious and offer a triple-threat of nutrition, fiber and antioxidants.
1 cup wild rice
1 cup barley
1 cup ferro (spelt)
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon curry
1 teaspoon salt
ground pepper to taste
chopped fresh herbs as you wish
Preparation:
1.
Mix
the wild rice, barley and ferro in a bowl. Fill with cold water and gently
swish the water until it becomes cloudy. Drain and repeat three times until the
water becomes clear.
2.
Put
the drained wild rice, barley and ferro in the rice cooker with the stock,
water and salt. Set the cooker at its “brown rice” setting. It will take
roughly 30-45 minutes to cook.
3.
Scoop
the mixture into a large bowl and using a spatula to turn the grains over while
adding the vinegar. Add the curry, chopped herbs, and salt and pepper to your
taste.
Presentation:
At
this point the grains can be served in several ways; (1) as a hot side dish
with any entrée, or, (2) served cold in a constructed salad, or, (3) as a soup
- put one cup in a soup bowl, pour hot stock on top and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano,
and you have a delicious soup. Toasted pine nuts are an excellent addition, as
are chopped scallions. The grains keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
