Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers by Moosewood Collective (summer reads TXT) 📕

leftover grains are invaluable on busy weekday nights. Top a green salad with them to make it more substantial. Add vegetables and/or dried fruit and nuts for a pilaf. Mix with herbs and cheese to stuff peppers or tomatoes. Add an egg and chopped vegetables and sprinkle with soy sauce for fried rice. Stir into a brothy soup. The possibilities go on and on—leftovers rarely languish in the refrigerator. Here are directions for cooking some of our favorite grains for simple suppers:

BULGHUR is made from wheat berries that have been steamed or parboiled, dried, and cracked. It is a quick-cooking, nutty-flavored grain. Medium and light bulghurs cook faster than coarser varieties. See Saucy Hungarian Eggplant for cooking directions.

COUSCOUS is precooked semolina milled from durum wheat. It looks like tiny yellow irregularly shaped pearls. Whole wheat couscous is the same size and shape but with a light brown color and nuttier flavor. Couscous cooks quickly; put equal amounts of couscous and boiling water in a bowl with a little salt and olive oil, cover, and let sit until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir to fluff the grains.

GRITS are made from dried corn with the germ removed. Yellow and white grits have similar sweetness, flavor, and nutritional value. We recommend quick-cooking or regular grits but not instant grits, which contain additives and have an insipid flavor. Stone-ground grits are dried whole kernels of white or yellow corn crushed between millstones; they’re delicious but take longer to cook than regular or quick-cooking. See Louisiana Catfish with Grits & Greens for cooking directions.

KASHA is the common name for roasted buckwheat groats. It has a distinct earthy flavor and texture and looks like dark brown seeds. Kasha pairs well with mushrooms, onions, and root vegetables. See Kasha & Orzo with Portabellas for a delectable example of how to enjoy kasha.

POLENTA is the Italian word for corn. Polenta can be made with any grind of cornmeal; the amount of water needed, the cooking time, and the texture of the finished polenta varies. Fast-cooking polenta cornmeal is finely ground, often cooks in just 5 minutes, generally does well with a 4:1 water to cornmeal ratio, and is smooth and creamy. Regular cornmeal does better with a 3:1 water to cornmeal ratio and needs to simmer for about 15 minutes. See for cooking and serving suggestions.

QUINOA (KEEN-wah) is an easily digested grain, first cultivated by the Incas and now widely available in this country. It has a mild, nutty flavor. Before cooking, thoroughly rinse it to remove the slightly bitter coating on the grains. It expands four to five times when cooked, so a little goes a long way. See Quinoa & Vegetable Pilaf for a delicious recipe that uses this ancient grain.

Rice

ARBORIO RICE is an Italian short-grain, highly absorbent, starchy white rice used in risottos. Look for arborio rice, often called riso or risotto rice, in the ethnic section of the supermarket or in Italian specialty shops. We like brands imported from Italy and Rice Select brand Risotto: Italian-style Rice, which is grown in the United States. See for some great risotto recipes.

BASMATI RICE is a fragrant rice, originally grown in the foothills of the Himalayas and now grown in the United States as well (domestic basmati is sometimes called Texmati or Calmati). Cook brown basmati like brown rice but with a little more water. To cook white basmati, rinse the rice and drain. Bring water (1¾ cups water to 1 cup rice) to a boil. Add salt and a little oil or butter, stir in the rice, lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Or, follow the instructions for white rice.

BROWN RICE has a chewy texture and excellent flavor. Only the hull is removed; the bran and germ are retained. It is available in long-, medium-, and short-grain varieties—the shorter the grain, the more plump and moist the cooked kernels are. Use long-grain when a fluffy rice is preferred. To cook brown rice, rinse and drain the rice, put it in a pot, stir it with a little oil and salt, add cool water (2 cups water to 1 cup rice, but less water for larger amounts: 4½ cups water to 3 cups rice), cover, and bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, lower the heat and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 40 minutes.

JASMINE RICE is a fragrant, creamy, long-grain Thai rice. See the cooking directions for white rice.

WHITE RICE is also known as polished rice because it is processed to remove both its hull and bran. Enriched white rice has thiamine, niacin, and iron added. It comes in long-grain, medium-grain, and short-grain varieties. Cook white rice like brown rice but with less water (1¾ cups water to 1 cup rice) and significantly less simmering time (12 to 15 minutes).

yellow rice

SERVES 4

TIME: 25 MINUTES

SIMMERING TIME: 15 MINUTES

1½ cups white rice

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon turmeric or a generous pinch of saffron

2¼ cups water

½ teaspoon salt

Rinse and drain the rice. Heat the oil in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the rice and turmeric or saffron and stir on high heat for a minute or two. Add the water and salt, cover, and bring to a boil on high heat. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook covered for 12 to 15 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Fluff the rice with a fork, cover, and let sit until ready to serve.

INGREDIENT NOTE Brown rice is fine in this recipe; it just takes longer to cook, about 40 minutes of simmering.

serving & menu ideas

Yellow Rice is the perfect bed for Black Beans with Pickled Red Onions, West Indian Red Beans, Shrimp Curry with Snow Peas, Roasted Vegetable Curry, and Flounder with Herbed Lemon Butter.

green rice

SERVES 4

TIME: 25 MINUTES

SIMMERING TIME: 15 MINUTES

1½ cups white rice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil

2¼ cups water

½ teaspoon salt

3 scallions

4 cups loosely packed spinach