Kamut Pilaf with Basil

Last week I served Larry kamut for the first time.

He thought the dish was good, but was a little uncertain about the kamut itself.

You see, although kamut looks like brown rice, it has more of the munchy pop of wheat kernels. Which makes sense, since kamut is an ancient form of wheat.

Once you get used to the texture, it's a great substitute for brown rice in any pilaf. And it is a highly nutritious grain, containing more protein, vitamins and minerals than wheat.

You can buy whole kamut at any health food store.

This is a fresh-tasting recipe to try it with.

Kamut Pilaf with Basil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, diced in 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup whole kamut
2" sprig rosemary
3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Sauté onions, carrots and garlic in olive oil until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in kamut and rosemary sprig. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until kamut is tender and stock is absorbed, 40-60 minutes. Stir in green onions and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve sprinkled with a little extra basil.

Serves 4

Scalloped Potatoes and Kale

I am always looking for new ways to serve kale.

Kale is one of those foods that is exceptionally healthy. It is an anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, heart-healthy, cholesterol-lowering power food. Cooked or raw.

In this recipe, I serve it cooked with potatoes, to make a family-friendly meal that your body will love.

I used the curly green kale because I wanted some texture. I added some lacinato kale which cooks very soft, because I didn't want too much texture. Balance is all, especially with greens. This would work with mustard greens or chard or collard greens - experiment. If you're brave you could try hiding dandelion greens in here. But add something softer like kale or chard so there isn't too much bite.

And as you're enjoying this delicious meal, think of how you are boosting all the cells in your body with powerful nutrients.

Scalloped Potatoes and Kale
1 1/2 lb potatoes
1 lb kale
1 cup basil
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup grated cheddar
1 1/4 cups milk

Wash and stem the kale and slice it coarsely into ribbons. Wash and chop the basil and garlic.

Place the kale in a covered saucepan with the water still sticking to its leaves and a sprinkling of salt, and cook over medium heat until it has wilted down a bit, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure it's not burning on the bottom.

Peel the potatoes and slice them thin. Arrange half in a shallow 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Stir the basil and garlic into the greens, and pile them onto the potatoes. Press down if necessary.

Arrange the remaining potato slices on top of the greens. Then distribute the grated cheddar over the potatoes.

Carefully pour the milk over the cheese. It will filter down into the potatoes and greens.

Bake at 425°F for about 50 minutes until the potatoes are tender when you poke a knife in. Cover for the last few minutes if they're getting too dark. Let the gratin sit for 10 minutes when you take it out of the oven to let any juices settle in.

Serves 4-6.

Fava Bean Risotto

We grew our own fava beans this year.

In the garden I corralled them in a cage of stakes and string and they pretty much took care of themselves.

In the kitchen, however, they are more complicated. First they have to be removed from their pods, and then the hard skins over the individual beans (peas?) slipped off. It's even more work than shelling peas.

But the flavor is lovely - so spring-like. The other day I picked a few beans and turned them into this lovely spring-like risotto.

Fava beans are great in risotto because they keep their color, and you don't need a lot of them to make a good impact.

(I suggest 1-2 lbs in this recipe, which I know is vague but it depends on how big the beans are inside the pod and what percentage of bean to rice you like. If you blanch more fava beans than you want to add to your risotto, refrigerate them overnight and then warm them in a little butter in a skillet. Add a little chopped mint and you have a simple side dish.)

I use my basic risotto recipe, and stir the blanched fava beans in at the end to warm through. If you don't have fava beans, you can use 3/4 cup of defrosted baby limas or peas instead.

As in all risottos, it's important to use a well-flavored vegetable stock. You can find my favorite here.

Leftover risotto can be formed into burgers, dredged in bread crumbs and gently fried in a little olive oil. It's almost better than the original dish, so it's always worth making more risotto than you will need.

Fava Bean Risotto
1-2 lbs fava beans in their pods
1 small onion or shallot, finely diced
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
4-5 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper
parmesan (optional)
mint for garnish

Pop the fava beans out of their pods. Blanch the beans (peas?) in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and plunge into ice water. When they are cool, peel the thick outer white layer off each bean, revealing the bright green inside. This is the part that will go in the risotto.

Heat the stock in a covered pot on the back burner. Keep it at a simmer while you're cooking the rice.

Melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently until it's translucent.

Stir in the arborio rice, letting it toast slightly but not brown. Stir in a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Add the white wine and cook, stirring, until it is evaporated.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the hot stock. Stir. Let it cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is evaporated. Add more stock as needed until the rice is tender. If you run out of stock, use hot water from the kettle. The rice should be toothsome and quite liquid-y. Not like ordinary rice. More soupy, but not too watery. Experiment until you like it.

When the rice is almost perfect, stir in the bright green fava beans. Season with a little more salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Serve in shallow bowls, garnished with shredded mint leaves.

Pass parmesan on the side.

Serves 2-3

Beets - roots and greens

At this time of year when spring beets with their fresh greens are at the market, I like to cook them separately, then reunite them in this colorful dish that is flavorful without being too "beet-y".

When you get beets and their greens home from the market, cut the tops off and store them separately. Otherwise the roots will draw the liquid out of the greens and they will wilt.

Stored in the fridge, they will last a few days until you are ready to cook them.

This is a very simple recipe, suitable for these long spring evenings when you'd rather be out in the garden than in the kitchen.

And it's highly nutritious. Beets are full of iron and other minerals, they are good for the colon, the gall bladder, the kidneys, the eyes and heart -- well, actually they're good for the whole body.

(But then so are all vegetables. It makes for repetitive reading, but a true diversity of eating. We eat different vegetables every day, and still I look longingly at the varieties I have to leave behind at the market stalls.)

Anyway, beets are great. I hope you enjoy this colorful dish.

(If your beets don't have enough greens to make a decent dish - greens do shrink to practically nothing when they're cooked - then add any other green you like. Chard, spinach, kale, mustard greens, collard greens - they'd all be great in this dish.)

Beets - roots and greens
1 bunch beets with greens
1 tsp olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
olive oil and salt and pepper to taste

Cut the greens from the beets.

Scrub the roots, place them in a covered casserole, and bake at 350°F until tender, 25-60 minutes depending on their size. Let cool until you can handle them, then peel and dice, and toss with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, wash the greens well. Cut the stems at the base of the leaves, and then chop the stems into small pieces. Chop the leaves coarsely.

Warm the shallot in the olive oil. Add the beet stems and let cook a couple of minutes until soft. Stir in the greens along with any water remaining on their leaves. (If they're completely dry, add a tablespoon of water.) Stir well, then cover the pot. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the greens are completely soft. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the greens on a serving plate. Pile the roots in the middle.

Let each diner add olive oil or balsamic vinegar to taste.

Serves 2-3 depending on the size of the beets.

Pasta with Arugula

Flora Bella Farms had the most beautiful young arugula last week, and I knew exactly what to do with it.

I picked up a 6oz container of crimini mushrooms (the brown ones that turn into portabellos if they get big), and a 5oz container of crumbled gorgonzola, picked a couple of tomatoes from the garden, and made a meal which I think comes pretty darned close to heaven.

(My body does too. Arugula is a cruciferous vegetable, so it has the cancer-fighting properties of broccoli. It's high in minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. And in this dish the arugula is lightly cooked in a little olive oil, which helps the body absorb the nutrients. Healthy and heavenly. Aren't vegetables great?)

The kick of the arugula comes through in this dish, but is tamed by the richness of the mushrooms and cheese. A few grindings of pepper, and you have a vigorous pasta dish that is not for the faint of heart. But boy, it's hard to stop at one serving.

Pasta with Arugula and Gorgonzola
8 oz penne
2 tbsp olive oil
6 oz mushrooms
2 tomatoes, diced
1 bunch arugula
5 oz crumbled gorgonzola
freshly-ground pepper

Cook the penne according to the directions on the packet. (You are using organic pasta, right?)

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet. Wipe the mushrooms clean and cut them in quarters or sixths depending on the size. Add to the skillet and cook about 5 minutes. Wash the arugula, discarding any yellowed leaves. Cut off the long stems at the bottom if they are tough. Chop the leaves coarsely (no need to rip out the stems if they're soft).

Add the tomatoes and arugula to the skillet, turn in the olive oil and let cook a couple of minutes until the arugula is wilted. Tip into a serving bowl. Stir in the gorgonzola.

Drain the pasta and add to the bowl. The tomatoes and mushrooms should have released enough juice that it is a moist dish, but add some of the pasta cooking water if needed.

Season with lots of pepper.

Toss well and serve hot.

Serves 4 in theory.

Snaps and carrots

The snap peas have been so delicious this year!

It's almost a shame to cook them, because they taste so good raw. But combined with cooked carrots, they make a fast and colorful side dish that complements any meal.

The snap peas need to be rinsed before cooking. Then I trim off the pointy tip of each end, pulling at the string that runs down one or both sides of the pod.

I slice the carrots in thick rounds, and cook them in a little boiling water until they are almost tender. Then I put the snap peas on top of the carrots, cover the pot, and let them steam for a couple of minutes until they're bright and tender-crisp.

I drain it all and put it in a serving dish. We add butter or salt and pepper to taste at the table.

Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

Almost healthy comfort food

I came home from work the other day wanting comfort food.

But we had a cabbage in the fridge - an ace food for preventing colon cancer and balancing hormones. How could I turn health food into comfort food?

Well, I cooked it and stirred it into pasta with tomato sauce and baked it in the oven. Like baked ziti but with cabbage added. And to make it healthier, I used organic brown rice pasta spirals.

While it tasted and looked like comfort food, I felt good knowing that we were getting the health-protective nutrients of cabbage.

If your family is reluctant to eat cabbage, this is a great way to sneak it into their diets.

Pasta Cabbage Casserole
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
1 1/2 lbs green cabbage
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
14-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 lb brown rice spirals
4 oz cheddar, sliced thin

Peel and quarter the onion, then slice thinly. Sauté in olive oil over medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Wedge the cabbage and slice it thinly. Discard the hard core.

Stir cabbage into onion, cover and cook about 10 minutes until the cabbage is soft. Stir occasionally. Stir in tomato sauce and red wine vinegar. Cook another 10 minutes, covered partially, until cabbage is very tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package. Cook until still slightly chewy - it will continue to cook in the oven. Drain the pasta and add it to the cabbage. Season with lots of salt and pepper to taste.

Grease a shallow 7x12 casserole. Pour in the cabbage mixture. Place thin slices of cheddar over the top. Cover the casserole and bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake another few minutes to toast the cheese. Serve immediately.

Serves 6. Makes great leftovers.