Boost fiber and flavor: add grain to your salads

By John Ash
Los Angeles Times Syndicate

(Los Angeles Times Syndicate) -- I love using grains to make salads. They're definitely healthy because they are low in fat, contain no cholesterol, provide B vitamins and are high in dietary fiber. But beyond that, I think they are delicious and perfect foils for all kinds of dressings and condiments. They can generally be used interchangeably and combined to create all kinds of interesting textures and colors.

I usually cook grains in fairly large quantities so that I can freeze a portion of them, which in turn can be quickly thawed to make salads in short order. After cooking, most grains freeze well in airtight food containers. I think you're much more likely to use them if you've cooked some ahead.

Most of us are familiar with grains like lentils or wild rice to make salads. In recent years, however, we've seen an explosion in the availability of all kinds of new (at least to us) grains from all parts of the world.

I should probably stop here and provide some kind of definition for grains. Grains are described as the fruits (berries) of grasses. Although we tend to include things like lentils as part of the broader grain category, lentils are not technically a grain but part of the legume family. There are others that we also lump in the grain family such as amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat, which come from plants other than grasses. That noted, I tend to lump them all together as members of the larger grain family.

One of the keys to cooking grains for salads is to make sure not to overcook them or the salad will be mushy and uninteresting. A big part of the appeal of grains is their texture. Additionally, because grains in salads are usually combined with moist vinaigrettes or other dressings, they continue to absorb moisture. Like pasta, grains should be cooked al dente, that is cooked through but still have a "bite" to them.

Here are a few other tips on grains:

• Remember that age and storage conditions can dramatically affect cooking times.
  
• Be sure to store grains properly. Remember that grains have fats in them that eventually go rancid. Be sure that what you are buying is the current crop. If you live in a warm and/or humid climate, I suggest that you store grains airtight in the refrigerator or freezer to extend their lives.
  
• Toasting grains a bit, either dry in a pan or sauteing with a little fat, is a great way of promoting texture and developing nutty, rich flavor.
  
• Large whole grains like wheatberries or wild rice can be soaked for a few hours or even overnight before cooking. This can cut cooking time in half.
  
• If you don't have time or haven't thought to soak grains ahead, use the quick-soak method used for dry beans. Rinse grains well, place them in a deep saucepan and cover with at least 3 inches of cold water. Bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, remove from the heat and let stand for 1 hour. This has the same effect as soaking overnight. Drain, add fresh water and finish cooking.
  

Here are three of my favorite recipes to get you started.

This is a delicious salad that could use any lentil besides the black lentils specified. Lentils come in all colors of the rainbow, from white to yellow, orange, red, brown, green and black. Each cooks in a different amount of time. For this recipe you want to make sure that whichever you use is cooked through, but not mushy. Black lentils are available via mail order from Indian Harvest at (800)346-7032.

• 2 cups water or vegetable stock
• Sea salt
• 1 cup black beluga lentils
• 1 large red or yellow bell pepper, charred, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup pitted and diced olives, such as Cerignola, Kalamata or Sicilian Green
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped mint
• Cumin Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced into rounds
• 1/2 cup seeded and diced firm ripe tomato
• 3/4 cup drained feta cheese, cut into small dice
• Fresh radish sprouts, for garnish, optional

Bring water and 1 teaspoon salt to boil. Add lentils. Reduce heat, partially cover and cook until lentils are just tender but still little firm, 15 minutes. Drain. Toss while still warm with red pepper, onion, olives, parsley, mint and vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange cucumbers attractively in single layer on plates. Mound salad on top. Sprinkle tomato and feta cheese on top. Garnish with radish sprouts. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

• 1 tablespoon roasted or poached garlic, mashed
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime or lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lime or lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or green onion
• 1/2 teaspoon seeded and finely chopped jalapeno or serrano chile
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/3 cup olive oil or more to taste
• Salt, pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together garlic, zest and juice, shallot, chile, cumin, mustard and oil. Let stand at least 15 minutes before using. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and additional lime juice, if desired. Stir in cilantro just before using. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Dry-toasting barley before cooking gives the barley a wonderful, nutty flavor and helps keep it from getting too soft and mushy.

• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock or water
• 1 medium (3- to 4-ounce) poblano chile, charred, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 cup sweet fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup seeded and diced ripe tomato
• 1/4 cup charred, peeled and diced yellow or orange bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 teaspoon seeded and minced jalapeno chile or to taste
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh mint
• 2 teaspoons chopped blanched garlic
• 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons olive or corn oil
• Salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound large portobello mushrooms
• 1/4 cup toasted whole pepitas (pumpkin seeds), optional
• 18 tender young spinach leaves, stems removed

Place barley in dry saucepan over medium heat and toast lightly. Stir constantly to prevent burning. Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently until liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.

Off heat, partially uncover and allow barley to cool before stirring. (Barley can be made day ahead, covered and refrigerated.)

Combine cooked barley with chile, corn, tomato, bell pepper, onions, jalapeno chile, cilantro, mint, garlic, lime juice, 2 tablespoons oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Remove stems and scrape dark gills from mushrooms and discard. Brush mushrooms with remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill mushrooms over hot coals or in stovetop grill pan until just cooked through, about 3 minutes.

If making several hours or 1 day ahead, stir in pepitas just before serving to retain their texture. Arrange spinach leaves on plates. Top with barley salad. Slice mushrooms at angle and arrange attractively on plate. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

There is great debate among cooks from the Middle East about the ratio of bulgur to parsley in tabbouleh. I've been told that it should be at least eight parts (by volume) parsley to one part bulgur. In this version we've made it a bit more wheat to parsley. The California hook in this salad is the slow-roasted tomatoes. Something magical happens when you cook them for a long time at low temperature -- flavor becomes very concentrated and sweet. They are a perfect foil for the lemony-herb tabbouleh.

• 5 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, halved and gently seeded
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup fine bulgur wheat
• 1/3 cup rich vegetable stock, heated to boiling
• 2 cups finely chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon minced green onion
• 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• Fresh mint sprigs and toasted pine nuts, for garnish

Lightly coat tomatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper and arrange in overlapping layers on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 275 degrees 3 hours. (Tomatoes should be very concentrated and lightly browned.)

Place bulgur, stock and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in bowl and cover. Let stand at least 30 minutes. Uncover and fluff with fork. Stir in parsley, mint, onion, garlic, lemon juice and zest. Adjust seasonings to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange roasted tomatoes on plates. Place mound of tabbouleh on top. Garnish with mint sprigs and toasted pine nuts and serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.