Cooking with Grains

[ElsieD]

@Okanagancook  please post what you end up buying.  I'd also be curious to know what they charge for shipping.  I find some places very reasonable while others seem to treat shipping as a money making venture.

[Okanagancook]

Well, he said they use USPS so the rates are what they are.  I am in BC so my shipping charges aren’t going to give you a good idea about yours.  My plan is to place the order but ask what the shipping will be.  There are so many wonderful things I want to try.  After reading an article in the Globe and Mail about how retirees are not spending their savings as expected I may just close my eyes and hit the buy button.  we will see.

[btbyrd]

If you have Netflix, you should check out Mind of a Chef Season 2: Episode 3, which is dedicated to rice -- Anson Mill's Carolina Gold in particular. If you're going to place your first Anson Mills order, the rice is probably essential. And if you're getting the rice, you might as well get some of the sea island red peas so that you can make some proper Hoppin John. Apart from that, the other main thing I've cooked with is the grits and cornmeal. The grits in particular are especially good. And I love the visual pop of their blue grits (which taste just like the normal grits, only bluer). I've eaten their farro at restaurants but haven't cooked it. Not sure which varieties I've had, but they were delicious. My next Anson Mills adventure will be attempting soba with their buckheat flour. Wish I had more experience with more of their products, but it's just a matter of time.

[Okanagancook]

Thank you @btbyrd That's useful information.  Yes the rice & grits for certain and I will get the peas also.

 

Also found it:  

 

 

Edited April 28, 2018 by Okanagancook (log)

[Okanagancook]

16 hours ago, ElsieD said:

@Okanagancook  please post what you end up buying.  I'd also be curious to know what they charge for shipping.  I find some places very reasonable while others seem to treat shipping as a money making venture.

Just placed my order.  The total weight is 10 lbs and the shipping to me here in Penticton, BC was $56 US so not as bad as I thought.

1 yellow grits

1 Pencil Cobb grits

1 Rustic Polenta Integrale

4 Carolina Gold Rice

1 Rice Grits

1 Carolina brown rice

1 Laurel Aged Carolina Gold Rice

1 Slow Roasted Farro

1 Sea Island Red Peas to make Hoppin John

Edited April 28, 2018 by Okanagancook (log)

[ElsieD]

3 hours ago, Okanagancook said:

Just placed my order.  The total weight is 10 lbs and the shipping to me here in Penticton, BC was $56 US so not as bad as I thought.

1 yellow grits

1 Pencil Cobb grits

1 Rustic Polenta Integrale

4 Carolina Gold Rice

1 Rice Grits

1 Carolina brown rice

1 Laurel Aged Carolina Gold Rice

1 Slow Roasted Farro

1 Sea Island Red Peas to make Hoppin John

 

They have some interesting stuff.  I looked at some of the recipes and they sure are detailed.  I look forward to hearing if the cost of the goods plus shipping was worth it, although spread out among the number of items is not too bad.

[ElsieD]

I did some googling this morning to figure out what I was going to do with my second 1/2 cup of wheatberries.  I ended up adding chopped apple, dried cranberries, cheddar cheese, Mandarin oranges and a dressing made with olive oil, honey, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice.   I had some leftover spinach so added that as well.   Sprinkled the top with some more sunflower seeds.  This was really good.

 

 

Edited April 28, 2018 by ElsieD (log)

[Okanagancook]

20 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

They have some interesting stuff.  I looked at some of the recipes and they sure are detailed.  I look forward to hearing if the cost of the goods plus shipping was worth it, although spread out among the number of items is not too bad.

Total Cdn dollar cost is $187 and total weight of purchased product is 10 lbs.  

[kayb]

So glad you ordered their rice grits. I love rice grits; a different taste and texture from corn grits.

 

Soon as I need some more, and a few more varieties of rice, I need to order just so I can add Sea Island red peas to the list.

 

[pastrygirl]

On 4/27/2018 at 7:22 PM, Okanagancook said:

Well, he said they use USPS so the rates are what they are.  I am in BC so my shipping charges aren’t going to give you a good idea about yours.  My plan is to place the order but ask what the shipping will be.

 

Flat rate international is about $45 for a medium box, so you want it packed full!  Screenshot from USPS.com -

 

Edited April 29, 2018 by pastrygirl (log)

[Okanagancook]

@pastrygirlthank you. 

[pastrygirl]

10 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

@pastrygirlthank you. 

You’re welcome, I hadn’t read all the way through to see that you had placed your order. But for other curious shoppers outside of the US, it’s one price for the size of the box, no matter how heavy or how far it’s going. Seems expensive to cross one friendly border, but a pretty good deal when shipping to a village in the Himalayas. 

[Darienne]

21 hours ago, ElsieD said:

I did some googling this morning to figure out what I was going to do with my second 1/2 cup of wheatberries.  I ended up adding chopped apple, dried cranberries, cheddar cheese, Mandarin oranges and a dressing made with olive oil, honey, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice.   I had some leftover spinach so added that as well.   Sprinkled the top with some more sunflower seeds.  This was really good.

 

Sounds and looks so good that I am going to make this one.  Always looking for new salad recipes to feed the Dog Weekend crowd.

[kayb]

Did my grocery shopping today and loaded up on fruit and veggies. As Monday is generally a kitchen day for me, I may cook several different kinds of grains, cool, package in half-cup servings in plastic bags, and freeze.

 

Speaking of which, what's the difference in a Mandarin orange and a clementine? Other than the fact one was a lot more expensive than the other at the grocery today? And are either of them the same as tangerines, which is what we always called them when I was a kid?

 

[Smithy]

20 hours ago, kayb said:

Speaking of which, what's the difference in a Mandarin orange and a clementine? Other than the fact one was a lot more expensive than the other at the grocery today? And are either of them the same as tangerines, which is what we always called them when I was a kid?

 

 

I grew up calling them tangerines also. We had a pet satsuma tree due to a nursery mistake when Dad planted his grove. We always called it a tangerine tree, but when I was old enough to understand Dad said it was really a satsuma mandarin orange.

 

Satsumas and clementines are two varieties of mandarin orange. There are more, and of course there are hybrids. I think the word "tangerine" has fallen out of favor; at least, UCR (University of California, Riverside) doesn't seem to recognize it. Harold McGee (On Food and Cooking, 2004 edition, p.375) wrote that the satsuma, the Japanese variety, appeared by the 16th century, and the "Mediterranean types" that appeared by the 19th century were collectively called tangerines for Tangiers, Morocco. The current thinking is that the mandarin orange is one of three specific citrus fruits (the other two being the citron and the pummelo) from which all others have sprung.

 

For more specific information, the UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection web site has some good references. This page is specifically about mandarin varieties.

Edited April 30, 2018 by Smithy
Spelling, and clarified "UCR" for readers unfamiliar with the abbreviation (log)

[kayb]

....why I love eGullet, Reason No. 4,723....

[MollyB]

For general info on different grains and how to cook them, I really like Lorna Sass's Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way. I've liked almost all the recipes I've tried (I've learned I am not a fan of buckwheat groats), and her instructions for cooking different grains seem to be spot on. Her advice to always make extra cooked grains and freeze them is really useful.

 

If you have a rice cooker, I also recommend The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensberger and Julie Kaufman. It has recipes for cooking whole grains (barley, farro, wheat berries, etc.) in the rice cooker, as well as some recipes using them.

 

I second the recommendation earlier in the thread for Bowls of Plenty - I've made a number of bowls from it and inspired by it. There's one tasty bowl with grilled vegetables that taught me that you can grill Romano beans - what a fabulous discovery! 

[SLB]

After reading this thread, I'm going to order some of the Anson Mills rice, which I've never had before.  

 

Their polenta is my very favorite on the planet, though, and I can't recommend it enough.  The other corn products have a justly-earned rep, but I personally think there are a lot of good cornmeals out there, if we're talking basic cornbread opportunities.  

 

That said -- I hate how at Anson Mills you have to either buy a tiny pouch of an item or 10 pounds.  I don't get why this works for mail order.  By "works" I mean works for the retail consumer.  Sigh.  

Edited May 9, 2018 by SLB (log)

[Okanagancook]

My Anson Mills order arrived today just 15 days from placing my order.  I'd say that's pretty good service:  4481 kms!.  Ten pounds of various grains fit into the USPS $50 shipping box.  The ten pounds of rice, polenta, grits, and peas cost $216.61 Cdn with our Canadian taxes added in.  Everything looks very well packaged and the box had styrofoam chips to keep things from bouncing around.  Beautiful.  Here are a few pictures of all the packages, the Carolina Gold Rice and the Sea Island Red Peas.  The red peas are interesting.  Not sure why some aren't red.  But I am really looking forward to using them.  I planted some in my garden and if they come up I will plant more.  I've been on their wonderful website making notes on cooking these grains.  DH thinks I'm nuts paying $21.66/lb "and it's not even meat."

[kayb]

Have a friend who contends I'm nuts for paying $6 a pound for Rancho Gordo beans when I can get them all day at the grocery for $1.59. Don't care. It's worth it. They're not even on the same planet.

 

[Okanagancook]

Exactly.  Some people don’t get it.  But, of course one has to have the budget and I am very fortunate to be able to play.

 

 

[Anna N]

13 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

Exactly.  Some people don’t get it.  But, of course one has to have the budget and I am very fortunate to be able to play.

 

 

There is a reason that some of our means are designated “discretionary”. There is no way in hell I would spend even two cents a pound for beans. On the other hand you might well be shocked at what I am prepared to spend  on certain things at certain times.

 

 

[Katie Meadow]

13 hours ago, Anna N said:

There is a reason that some of our means are designated “discretionary”. There is no way in hell I would spend even two cents a pound for beans. On the other hand you might well be shocked at what I am prepared to spend  on certain things at certain times.

 

 

You? I would not be shocked. But then, the various ways in which people spend money--or won't spend it--rarely amazes any more.

[jedovaty]

I've been discovering buckwheat over last year or so, this stuff is amazing and quite versatile, you can do everything from porridge to noodles and waffles (like with many of the seeds/grains, but this has such a unique "green" flavor making it more fun).

[kayb]

I've been doing some reading on sorghum since I made my maiden run at cooking it and adding it to my carrot/sweet potato soup t'other day. I think I'm going to try my hand at a sorghum salad that has cucumbers, Kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and a lemon viniagrette -- a vaguely Greek salad. If my oregano has not succumbed to the frost, I might put some fresh oregano in as well, along with some parsley. If it's good, I'll include it in the Christmas buffet as it'll be a good option for the gluten-free (celiac) daughter. 

 

I'm pretty entranced with this grain, not least because I've loved sorghum syrup all my life, but only ever saw the grain used in "sweet feed" for horses or cows. As I'm under a doctor's orders to boost my protein intake, and sorghum offers 18 grams in a one-cup serving, I'm thinking if I could make a salad that included sorghum and say, grilled chicken and other stuff, it'd knock a big hole in the day's protein requirement.

 

The stuff is tasty, and has a nice chew about it.

 

Next up: buckwheat groats, which I've had in the pantry for a while but not tried.