Steel-cut oatmeal has been a long-time favorite Winter breakfast for me, but lately I’ve been branching out, inspired by the fact that we have a ton of other whole grains in our pantry such as oat groats, spelt berries, wheat berries, farro and rye berries.  These grains all came from Cayuga Pure Organics, a bean and grain farm located near Ithaca, NY that is a provider for our CSA.

I’ve been treating these grains the way I would treat steel cut oatmeal, and it’s my new favorite way to start off the day! Follow these instructions to turn any whole grain into a warm, hearty breakfast flavored just to your liking.

Instructions:

Heartier whole grains such as rye berries and wheat berries cook quicker if you soak them overnight prior to cooking. A single serving is about 1/2 cup of dried grain. Just measure out the grain and put it in a bowl covered by at least a couple of inches of water (preferably filtered). Cover, and leave overnight.  The next morning (or some hours later), strain the grain and put it in a heavy pot with water in a 2:1 water:grain ratio.  Don’t worry about using too much water as this type of grain doesn’t turn into a porridge, the individual rye berries retain their integrity so you can just strain the grain when it’s cooked through, or fish it out with a slotted spoon.

Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until they tastes done.  These rye berries took about 40 minutes. They’re still al dente even after all that cooking, and they’ll pop in your mouth when chewed. At that point, you can add whatever flavorings you want, sweet or savory.   I like a touch a sweetness, so here I grabbed a small handful of raisins and sunflower seeds and it was perfect. Other great sweet options include maple syrup, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, walnuts, almonds, cashews, fresh apples, bananas, etc.  For the more savory side, Alexa adds things like sesame oil, soy sauce, steamed vegetables, balsamic vinegar, and pine nuts.  What flavor combinations come to your mind? We’d love to hear your favorites, it’s going to be a long Winter and we’ve got a lot of grain to get through!

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There really was nothing in the kitchen. Nothing that I could cook quickly, anyway. So it was either order in (which we do every couple of weeks) or starve (perhaps I’m being dramatic here…) By the time I got home from a busy clinic day, it was 9pm, and honestly I wanted to order in. I really did. But I was famished and I thought even ordering in would take too long. So I whipped together this filling, spicy, bowl of polenta and beans. (I really do cook a lot of polenta, right?) It definitely helped that I had a ripe avocado and pickled red onions to inspire me! And even though this epitomizes a throw-it-together-pantry dinner, I will definitely make it again. The whole thing took 15 minutes from start to finish!

Polenta and Bean Bowl

• 1 cup coarse corn meal
• 1 can black beans, drained
• Jarred salsa (we usually buy Green Mountain Gringo Hot or Medium)
• 1/2 avocado
• 2 garlic cloves
• Olive oil
• Pickled red onions

1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, and add 1 cup cornmeal, turn down heat, and stir for a few minutes until cornmeal magically turns into polenta. When thickened, stir in 1 T olive oil, and 1-2 cloves chopped garlic.
2. Meanwhile, heat beans with the salsa until heated through.
3. Serve the polenta topped with the bean mixture and garnished with sliced avocado and pickled red onions.

A note about canned beans: There has been A LOT of press about the safety of the Bisphenol-A (BPA) content of canned products lately. While I do tend to use BPA-free tomatoes in cartons (Pomi is my favorite), I do keep canned beans in my pantry for nights like this, and I probably will continue to do so. However, as part of our CSA this summer, in addition to our veggies, tomato, herb and garlic shares from Golden Earthworm, and a fruit share from Briermere, we signed up for a grain, bean and flour share from Cayuga Pure Organics. Actually, we were so excited that we signed up for 2 shares of each–we’ll be getting 2 pounds of beans, 2 pounds of grain, and 4 pounds of flour per month. So I will be experimenting with cooking many more dried beans over the next 6 months. I am super stoked to have virtually ALL of our food needs met by local, organic, sustainable producers. Go Tuv Ha’Aretz CSA!

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Making bread and pizza at home is all about planning. Once you’ve got the timing right, it requires very little active work.  I hadn’t made bread at home in over a month since we had been out of town, and well ya know,  summer… but when I saw artisanal multigrain loaves in the store selling for close to $5, I had a sudden burst of inspiration (funny how that works huh?).

Sunday is our day to prep our week’s food, and my contribution was one loaf of multigrain whole wheat bread, and dough for two large pizza pies to be eaten at a later date.  Sounds like a lot of work, but all this took roughly 15 minutes of actual work and about two and a half hours of listening for timers to ring and making decisions.   The only semi-technical part is feeling for when the dough is right, but the following two recipes should give you dough that is easy to handle and elastic, not wet and tacky.

Sunday Morning: Soaked the (Multi)Grains

When I woke up, I started soaking some grains that would be added to both the bread and pizza dough.  Uncooked grains add wonderful texture to bread, but they need to soak for a while, so it’s important to get that started early.  The grains I used were a small handful each of:

• Millet
• Oats
• Flaxseed Meal
• Coarse Cornmeal

I put those in a small bowl and added enough water to go about an inch over the grains, then I covered the bowl with a plate.    Ideally you want to soak the grains overnight, but I forgot.  We went out for about five hours, and when I got home and started on the dough the millet was still a little on the crunchy side but I used  it anyway and I ended up really liking the extra texture.

Sunday Late Afternoon: Started the Multigrain Whole Wheat Loaf

• 6 ounces white flour (about 1.5 cups)
• 10 ounces whole wheat flour (about 2 cups)
• 1.5 cups grain mixture (see above)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp active yeast
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4-1 1/2 cups of water

In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment (a la Bittman), add all the dry ingredients and mix for about 30 seconds.  Add the grain mixture and the olive oil, and with the food processor running, start pouring in the water.  Because there is a lot of water in the grains, the amount of water you need to add will vary, so add it slowly until a dough ball forms and starts moving around in the chamber.  I added about 3/4 cup.

Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead for just a few seconds.  Form it into a bowl, and let it rise in an oiled bowl covered with plastic wrap until it doubles (1-2 hours).  Our kitchen was HOT, so after about 45 minutes it had risen plenty.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface again and let it sit covered with plastic wrap for about 20 minutes.

Dusting with flour as needed, shape the dough into a flat rectangle the width of your loaf pan.   Roll up the dough and place it in the oiled pan seam side down.  Dust with flour and cover with plastic wrap and let it double again (1-2 hours).  (This is a great time to put about 5-7 minutes of work into making the pizza dough.  See below.)

If you want seeded bread: scramble an egg and brush it on the top of the loaf, sprinkle on the seed mixture of your choice (I used sesame seeds and rolled oats).

Slash with a sharp knife or lame, and put it in the center rack of your oven.  After about 20 minutes rotate the pan for even cooking.  It should cook for about 40 minutes or until it has a nice golden brown crust that gives a good thud when knocked with the back of a chef’s knife.  Remove from pan and cool on a cooling rack.

We’ve been having this as toast for breakfast, I made an egg and cheese with it this morning, and it was also a great accompaniment to Tuesday’s ratatouille (see previous post).  Not bad considering the ingredients used cost about $0.40.

Sunday After the Bread Was Shaped: Made The Multigrain Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (enough for 2 large pies)

Equipment note: Pizza does require some special equipment, most importantly a pizza stone, followed closely by a pizza peel (the huge wooden pizza spatula that is oh so fun to use) and finally a pizza slicer (also fun).  I strongly suggest you invest in at least the stone and peel, especially if you’re interested in making artisanal bread (not in a loaf pan) as the hot preheated stone is what gives you a super crust, and you can’t really get that without it.   You can find this equipment and more on our amazon store (CLICK HERE), and yes, your purchases do help us keep our site running, so thank you.

• 10 ounces of white flour
• 12 ounces of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup soaked uncooked grains (see above)
• 3 Tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1-1 1/2 cups water

Follow the exact same procedure as for the sandwich loaf above.  After the dough has risen the first time, split it into as many pies as you’d like to make, and either start flattening them out into a pie, or do what I did and wrap each dough ball with plastic wrap, put it in a freezer bag, and throw it in the freezer until you’re ready to use it.  The morning that you’ll be making the pizza, just take the dough out of the freezer and put it in the fridge.

Wednesday after work: Made a Delicious Pizza

Making the actual pizza is a snap:  Preheat the oven to 500 F with the pizza stone in the center of the oven.  On a cornmeal (or flour) dusted pizza peel, pat, roll or toss the dough until you’ve worked it into a pie as thick or as thin as you’d like.  Add your toppings, and slide it onto a pizza stone that has been heating in a 500 degree oven.  Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the crust is just browning.  Let it rest for a couple of minutes before slicing.

We turned one of the frozen dough balls into a fantastic pizza with leftover tomato sauce from the ratatouille, slow roasted red onions, Bulgarian feta and anchovies, drizzled with a balsamic reduction.  It was super supper.

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Chili and Eggs Tagine

• Veggie chili–see recipe at bottom of post (you can substitute canned/pre-cooked beans)
• Cooked rice (any cooked grain, or even pre-cooked pasta, can be used)
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar, or whatever you have on hand)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Broccoli stems (Not essential–we had some, so I used them–I always keep the stems after using the florets. You could leave this out, or alternately, use broccoli, kale, spinach or another green you have on hand.)
• Scallions, hot sauce, cumin (optional)

Over high heat, saute onion and garlic in oil with cumin seed until browned. Add 2 cups rice and saute until the rice gets a little color. Add chopped broccoli stems and season with salt and pepper.

Top rice with about 2 cups chili. Add 1/2 cup water. Crack eggs directly on top of chili, sprinkle with hot sauce. Cover. This meal is not contingent on a tagine–any covered saute pan or even a small pot would do. Turn down heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.

When you lift up the top, the whites should be set–If you prefer runny eggs, check at around 8 minutes. When the eggs are set to your liking, sprinkle with cheese and scallions, turn off heat, and cover for another minute.

Serve with extra hot sauce.

Slow Cooked Veggie Chili

Easiest. Recipe. Ever.

• 2 chopped onions
• 4 chopped garlic cloves
• 2 cups rinsed beans (I used 1 cup black beans, 1 cup northern beans)
• 2 cups canned tomatoes
• 6 cups water
• 1 chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• 1 T cumin
• 1 t oregano
• Salt, pepper

Put all ingredients in a slow cooker. Turn on low. Cook for 8-10 hours overnight.

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Leftover Grain Pancake:

• Leftover brown rice (up to 1.5 cups)
• Chopped scallions (2 or 3)
• Chopped kimchi (to taste)
• Eggs (3 or 4)
• Tofu (optional)

Beat the eggs. Mix in the leftover rice, scallions and kimchi.

Heat your largest skillet over medium high heat for a few minutes. Add canola oil to the pan. Ladle in the pancake batter. As tempting as it is, don’t touch the pancake for at least 5 minutes, until it has time to set up with a crust, which will make it much easier to flip. I use the same technique for flipping all large cumbersome items which I am frying—to see a vintage Sustainable Pantry silent video of my flipping technique wrestling a beast of a potato pancake click HERE. After the pancake is flipped, cook for another 5 minutes or so, until cooked through and crisp on the bottom.

The pancake was sliced into 6 pieces and garnished with a slice of tofu and extra kimchi. I served it with a dipping sauce made from 2 parts tamari, 2 parts rice wine vinegar and 1 part sesame oil.

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My sister taught me this one a decade ago. What makes it such a winner is it can be thrown together quickly, and if you have high quality pantry staples, its a top-notch easy meal. All you need from the fridge is cheese (and scallions if you have them).  If you have a little time and want to substitute a homemade salsa, you’d be a bit more rewarded.  Once you know how to make the polenta, you can layer in any number of things and bake them the same way. Italian flavors go great with polenta, as do Southern flavors, earthy mushroom flavors, and limitless other options.

Mexican Layered Polenta

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup coarse cornmeal (same thing as grits or polenta, don’t use instant)
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 jar of salsa
• Black beans (1 can)
• 1 cup grated cheese (jack, cheddar, cotija)
• Handful of sliced scallions

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, slowly add in the polenta mixed with the 4th cup of water and whisk to ensure there are no clumps. Bring up to a boil again, and lower the heat to a simmer while stirring frequently. It takes about 15 minutes to cook, and should thicken up considerably. You want it to be fairly thick, as it bubbles it should look like a spewing lava pit, emitting bursts of steam. If its not thick enough you can add a bit more cornmeal. Season with salt and pepper

While the polenta is cooking, grate the cheese, rinse the beans, and slice the scallions.  Mix the scallions and 1/2 the cheese into the polenta and turn off the heat. Next, in a 9X9 Pyrex or other baking dish, start layering:

On the bottom, spread 1/2 the polenta, then layer on the beans…

Next add the salsa, then the rest of the cheese…

and cover it with the rest of the polenta. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes…

Such a great meal, I hope it will find its way into your heart…and your pantry!

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Mushroom Barley Soup

• 2 onions ($.40)
• 5 cloves garlic ($.05)
• 4 carrots ($.25)
• 4 stalks celery ($.50)
• 1 cup dried sliced shitake mushroom caps ($1) reconstituted in hot water to cover
• 1/2lb cremini mushrooms ($1.60)
• 5oz sliced shitake mushroom caps ($5)
• 1 cup barley ($.75)
• Salt, pepper, herbes de provence ($.20)
• Olive oil ($.25)

Like most soups, the most labor intensive part of making this soup is the chopping.  There’s no need to spend extra time making sure all the vegetables are in exact equal pieces–especially with a rustic soup like this one, it’s OK to have pieces that aren’t perfectly square.

First, reconstitute the dried mushrooms in hot water and put up a kettle of about 5 cups of water to boil. While the mushrooms soak, saute the onions and garlic over medium heat in olive oil until they take on some color. Then, add the chopped carrots and celery.   A few minutes later, add the mushrooms–both fresh and reconstituted. Each time a new ingredient is added to the pot, be sure to season with salt and pepper.  This brings out the flavor of each ingredient.

Keep the soaking liquid from the mushrooms–it will be added later. Once the veggies take on some color, add the barley and saute for a minute or so. Then, add a tablespoon of herbes de provence (parsley or thyme would be be a good substitute), the soaking liquid and the boiling water. Barley really eats up water, so be sure to add at least enough water to cover by a few inches.

Turn the heat down, cover and cook for 30 minutes.  If the barley ends up really sucking up a lot of the water, you can always add more, you can also add more water when you re-heat it.

This is such a nicely balanced soup, each bite packs a wallop of earthy, supplementing nutrition.  Enjoy!

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Black Bean Soup

• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1.5 c dried black beans, rinsed
• 2 T Chili powder (I used ancho chili powder)
• 1 T Cumin
• 1 t Salt

As you can see above, the most labor intensive part of this recipe is the chopping. Once all the ingredients are chopped:

1. Place ingredients in the slow cooker
2. Cover with water (about 2 inches over the beans)
3. Set it (to low and 8 hours)
4. And forget it (go to sleep)

In the morning, the cumin-y goodness will waft you awake.  This recipe should yield about 6 portions of wonderful, healthy, hearty soup. I like to garnish the soup with grated cheddar and scallions and round out the meal with a baked potato or some crusty bread.

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