In case you didn’t know whole grains, legumes and pulse should be in your diet.  Okay, that’s besides what’s in the your favorite beer of the moment.  And let’s be real here.  Like most I do like some of my grain intake in a fermented, liquid form but it does not have to be all crunchy, granola-y or boiled brown rice.

The world of grains has many faces, Farro, wheat, rice, barley, millet, rye and corn for a short list.  Legumes include beans of all ilk, black, white, red, Hutterite, Jacobs cattle, scarlet runner to name a few. Pulse however is just another word for Legume or bean which derives from the Latin, puls and from ancient Greek, poltos (which means a meal of a stew thickened with beans or legumes). And there you have your word of the day and extra points in Scrabble.

From a culinary viewpoint these ingredients offer a range of flavor advantages.  Grains like Farro have a nutty complex flavor with hints of oat and barley.  Barley, meanwhile is mellow, grassy flavored with an almost creamy mouthfeel and subtle floral undertones.

Pulses or Legumes are 20 to 25% protein by weight, which is double the protein content of wheat and three times that of rice.  Pulses(or beans/ legumes) are generally pretty high in protein, and the digestibility of that protein is right up there too.  Interestingly, they are often relatively poor in the essential amino acid methionine. Grains (which are themselves deficient in lysine)  which is why slotting them into your weekly menu together helps to form a complete diet of protein.

And so this little culinary journey leads us to today’s recipe which is inspired by Mourad Lahlou’s recent New Moroccan cookbook.  While you scramble for the pantry keep in mind three key points for this recipe.

1. Its hella nutritious.
2. Its vegan.
3. And its delicious.

North African Spiced Grain Salad     (serves 6)

• 1 cup Brown Rice ( I like to use the brown basmati rice that can be found in stores like Rainbow Grocery here in SF or at other stores like Whole Foods)
• 1 cup Barley
• 1 cup Green French Lentils  (these are the dark green ones that hold their shape nicely when cooked – not their light-colored cousin that we use for Split Pea soup a personal favorite of mine)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped fine (remember the microplane)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 teaspoons Ras el_hanout   a heady mixture of spices from north African regions.  There are many variations and you can just as well do one yourself.  There are many decent versions on the web.  Here is on. Assemble spices then grind together as finely as possible in a spice grinder (actually we use coffee grinders for this in kitchens and simply sift out any large pieces.)  (In  a pinch you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed, 1 teaspoon coriander seed, 1/8th teaspoon whole black pepper, 1/8th teaspoon whole fennel seed- lightly toast these in a saute pan for a minute or two until they become fragrant then grind together and mix with a pinch of nutmeg, cinnamon and 2 teaspoons mild chile powder.)
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• zest  and juice of 2 lemons
• 2Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (use the best you can afford-always!!)
• 1/4 cup onion diced small.
• 1/2 cup black olives (optional) pitted and chopped large pieces
• 1/2 cup pistachios (or almonds) lightly toasted and coarsely chopped

The hardest part of this is that you have to cook the lentils, rice and barley separately.  Place each in a small separate pot.  Add 21/2 cups water and bring to simmer. Cook each until done.  This will take approx 20- 22 minutes for the lentils and approx. 15-18 minutes for the barley and rice.  Take care not to over cook so taste them several times towards the end of the cooking time.  Time will vary a bit.  When done drain each of all water and let let in a colander for a few minutes then combine in a large bowl.

In a small sauce pan heat the olive oil.  Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly for 3 minutes stirring occasionally.  Next add the Ras el_hanout and stir well.  Let this cook slowly for a minute then pull off the heat and pour over the grain, rice, lentil mix.  Stir in then add the lemon zest, juice, salt and chopped parsley.  Lastly add the olives and chopped almonds.

Ras el Hanout mixed in the olive oil

Addding spiced oil mix to cooked lentils and grains.

Serve this as a warm or room temperature salad with a range of dishes be they vegan, vegetarian or not.  At my house I will serve this with a winter squash tagine, grilled or roasted fish, pork or poultry.  Serve with a light, fruity red wine like a Sicilian Frappato. Or perhaps a locally brewed Saison style beer.

Nutrition Facts Serving Size  (289g)

Amount Per Serving Calories 460    Calories from Fat 130    % Daily Value Total Fat 14 g 22 %  Saturated Fat 1.5 g 8 %  Trans Fat 0 g    Cholesterol 0 mg 0 %  Sodium 420 mg 18 %  Total Carbohydrate 71 g 24 %  Dietary Fiber 12 g 48 %  Sugars 2 g    Protein 14 g

Vitamin A   20 %  Vitamin C   25 %  Calcium   6 %  Iron   20 %

Pan Roasted Black Cod, porcini mushroom sauce, pickled shallot, thyme

Last month in the post Building Flavors  we worked through a dish of Ahi Tuna, Udon and braised greens with a spicy soy and ginger sauce.  Since we had such interest in the dish and the idea of adding flavors to a dish and ingredients we’re going into round 2 of Building Flavors.

This time we’re going to stay with the seafood theme for the main ingredient and fiddle around with the sauce that goes with it.

For the fish part of this dish its going to be Black Cod aka Sablefish. Here is we go off a bit about what we eat and why. Black Cod is  a terrific, unctuously flavored and textured fish that works equally well for roasting in the oven or on top of the stove in a saute pan.  It also will give excellent results when steamed or poached.  Because the fish live deep in the cold waters off the north Pacific Coast its flesh possesses a good amount of natural oil which translates to a beautiful  moistness when cooked.  (Note: this moistness means its easier to cook without worrying about drying out it it sits in the heat a little too long.)   Another big plus is its rated Best Choice  by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Guide.  Essentially this means that the species’ population is in good shape and abundant due to the good and efficient fish stock management by both the fishermen and government agencies.  As today’s fish market have more than  their share of pitfalls and questionable choices having a seafood that rates this good is…..a really good thing, especially for the fishermen.  Eat this fish with a clear conscious.

Now let’s get cooking.  This dish will take you about 15 minutes to pull together.

Serves 2

• 12 oz Black Cod filet (divided into two 6 oz pieces, bones removed)
• 4 oz medium regular mushrooms sliced thin (white or brown is fine)
• 1 clove garlic, minced or chopped fine( a microplane works super for this)
• 1/2 oz dried Porcini Mushrooms soaked in 2 Tablespoons warm water (shoot, if you happen to have fresh then hey, use them for sure)
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 1/2  Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper fresh ground
• 1 shallot, peeled and diced small
• 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

Timing for this dish goes as follows.

1. Season Fish
2. Prepare and Cook mushroom sauce
3. Pickle shallots
4. Cook Fish
5. Reduce/ finish sauce and plate

First pre-heat the oven to 400F.

If the filets are a bit large trim them to 6 oz pieces.  You will find a line of bones down the middle of the front third of the filet.  Trim these out by cutting a V shaped cut around them.(you can also have your fish counter person do this for you).  Season the fish with the crushed Fennel Seed. kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Set this aside while the oven heats up and we get the sauce going

In a small bowl mix the diced shallots with the white wine vinegar, a small pinch of salt, a small bit of black pepper and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.  Let this sit and marinate as the rest of the dish takes shape.

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Next its sauce time. In a large bowl combine the sliced mushrooms, minced garlic, thyme, 1 1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and black pepper

Heat a sauce pan or non stick saute pan heated over medium high heat to get it nice and hot.  Add the musrhooms to the pan and cook over a medium high heat for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally.  We want to get some color on them that will help develope a richer flavor.  Think Umami.

While the mushrooms are cooking pull the soaking dried porcini mushrooms out of the liquid and chop up into small pieces.

Add the chopped porcini to the pan with the rest of the musrhooms and give a stir.  If it looks like its going too fast for you just turn the heat down low.

Next add the white wine.  Let the wine cook down till it pretty much disappears.  Next add the  soaking liquid from the dried mushrooms and the stock.  (Note:  If you are so inclined this is where you could add a 1/4 cup or so of a rich meat stock or demi.  One trick we do in restaurants is to make a small stock of mushrooms, onion, carrot and celery with thyme.  This can be reduced down and strained and saved for occasions like this)

Soon you’re going to enjoy the heady aroma of wild, forest mushrooms filling the kitchen.  Reduce the heat on the pan and let it simmer slowly while you finish the fish.  There, sauce is almost good to go.

Now we cook the fish and get ready to have dinner.  Heat a 8 -10 inch non-stick pan.  Add 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil and swirl the pan to coat.  Slide the Cod filets into the pan and keep the heat at medium high.  Place the pan with the fish in the oven.  Roast the fish in the oven for about 3-5 minutes depending on the size of the filets.

When the fish is done pull the pan out and let it rest for 3 minutes while you finish the sauce and pull togther any side dishes. Using a wide flat, spatula transfer the cooked fish to your dish.  Spoon out the mushrooms over the roasted cod.  One of the tricks here is not to just dump the sauce on the fish but to actually “spoon the musrhooms” on top of the fish leaving the mushroom liquid in the pan.  If its a bit too thin you can give it a quick and furious blast of heat to reduce it down to a glaze like texture.  Then spoon the reduced liquid AROUND the fish in a drizzle.  Its gonna look way cool.

Next spoon a teaspoon or so of the pickled shallot mix around the fish in several places on the plate.  The idea here is that the sharp bite of the pickled shallot will cut through the richness of the cod and mushrooms.  I like to add a few torn leaves of radicchio or cress to the plate as a counter point on the palate.

Serve with some roasted potatoes or a grain like farro.