Makes about 3½ cups
Native to Peru, quinoa is the gluten-free seed of a plant, related to beets and Swiss chard (go figure!). Quinoa has had a meteoric rise in popularity over the last decade because it has a delicious, mild flavor, is packed with nutrients, and is a great source of protein. When cooked correctly, it has a light, fluffy, and totally appealing texture. Quinoa is coated with saponins, phytochemicals that can impart a bitter taste to cooked quinoa, so while some manufacturers remove this outer layer, it’s still wise to rinse quinoa before cooking it. Quinoa grains can be white, red, or black. They taste the same, so which color you pick is a matter of style.
I almost always have cooked quinoa in the refrigerator. I mix it with a little sugar and cinnamon and serve it as a quick, healthy breakfast cereal with goji berries and raw cashews, or I use it to make Quick and Easy Breakfast Fried Quinoa (here).
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Combine the quinoa, salt, and 2 cups water in a large sauté pan and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer the quinoa until the water has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the quinoa rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff gently with a fork. Serve, or transfer the quinoa to a wide bowl or baking sheet to cool to room temperature if you’re cooking it to use in a salad.
Makes about 3½ cups
Red rice is a long-grain rice from Southeast Asia. It is similar in texture and taste to brown rice but the exterior, or bran, of the rice is red, which is what gives the rice its unique color. There are many types of red rice, including heirloom Bhutanese rice, Himalayan red rice, and Thai red rice, sometimes sold as “red cargo rice,” referring to the fact that it was shipped in cargo containers and packaged at its point of destination. The cooking time given here is for red cargo rice. Refer to the cooking times on the package if you are using a different variety of red rice. All rice is gluten-free.
1 cup red rice, rinsed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Combine the rice, salt, and 1¾ cups water in a large sauté pan and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, and cover. Simmer the rice until the water has been absorbed, about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff gently with a fork. Serve, or transfer the rice to a wide bowl or baking sheet to cool to room temperature if you’re cooking it to use in a salad.
Makes about 2 cups
Rye, a grain common to Russia and eastern European countries, is related to barley and wheat and, like those grains, contains gluten. The rye grain comes in many forms: Rye berries, whole rye grains, look like long, slender wheat berries. They can be used in place of wheat berries or other chewy grains, including farro, spelt, and Khorasan wheat. Cracked rye is the equivalent of cracked wheat, or bulgur; cook cracked rye as if it were bulgur. Rye flakes look like large rolled oats, but with a darker, grayish hue and an earthier flavor. Use them in any recipe that calls for rolled oats, such as to make a quick breakfast cereal, or in place of or in combination with rolled oats in Sweet and Salty Granola (here) or Whole-Grain Crisp Topping (here).
1 cup rye berries, rinsed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the rye berries and salt. Reduce the heat to medium-high and gently boil the rye berries, uncovered, until they are tender but still chewy, 60 to 70 minutes. Drain the rye berries and serve, or transfer to a wide bowl or baking sheet to cool to room temperature if you’re cooking them to use in a salad.
Makes about 2 cups
Sorghum, a round, gluten-free grain, is a staple grain in Africa and India. It has a mild flavor, so it reminds me of little round pasta such as Israeli couscous, but with loads of nutritional value. Sorghum takes a long time to cook, and seems to be impossible to overcook, so it’s the perfect grain to toss into soup. Soaking the grains overnight helps to reduce their cooking time. It has a chewy texture, so it’s the ideal g-free substitute for other chewy grains such farro, spelt, and wheat berries
1 cup sorghum, preferably soaked overnight and drained
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Bring 2 quarts water to a boil over high heat. Add the sorghum and salt, reduce the heat to medium-high, and gently boil the sorghum, uncovered, until tender, about 50 minutes. (If you did not soak the sorghum, keep cooking until they are tender, adding more water as necessary; it might take 70 minutes or more.) Drain and serve, or transfer the sorghum to a wide bowl or baking sheet to cool to room temperature if you are cooking it to use in a salad.
Makes about 2 cups
Spelt, known in Italy as farro piccolo, is an ancient European grain related to wheat. Yes, it has gluten, but unlike common American wheat, spelt has not been subjected to the abuses of agribusiness, such as cross-breeding and genetic modification. Some sources believe that those intolerant of wheat may have an easier time digesting spelt and other ancient grains. Spelt is chewy, with a nutty, earthy flavor; it’s great in salads, such as the Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Spelt, Walnuts, and Pecorino (here), spooned into soups, or served with yogurt or milk as a quick-and-easy breakfast cereal. Spelt takes more than an hour to cook, so if you’re strapped for time, use wheat berries or farro, which take a bit less time, in its place. Soaking it for an hour or up to overnight before cooking will reduce the cooking time slightly.
1 cup spelt, rinsed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the spelt and salt. Reduce the heat to medium-high and gently boil the spelt, uncovered, until it is tender but still chewy, 60 to 70 minutes. Drain and serve, or transfer the spelt to a wide bowl or baking sheet to cool to room temperature if you are cooking it to use in a salad.
Teff is a tiny ancient grain and a staple in Ethiopian cuisine; teff flour is used to make the Ethiopian bread injera. The grains, which come in brown and white (though brown is more common), are gluten-free and high in other nutrients, including iron. Some have dubbed teff the “new quinoa,” but I’m not buying it. Where quinoa cooks up fluffy with a mild, easy-to-like flavor, teff is gummy, gluey, and has an unusual taste. I experimented a lot with teff before I found three ways to use it that were without a doubt as delicious as they were healthy. Teff is one of four grains in Four Grain “Nutella” Porridge (here). I use it to make a polenta-like base for Mole Teff and Chicken (here); and I used the miniscule grains as one might use polenta to make a Flourless Chocolate Teff Cake (here). It was only in retrospect that I realized all three uses contained chocolate, which complements or masks the vaguely chocolaty flavor of teff. I don’t rinse teff before I cook it. It’s too small. It would be like rinsing a poppy seed, and could only end in frustration.
Makes about 2 cups
Wheat berries are just that: the whole kernels of wheat, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. Before farro and Khorasan wheat came back into our lives, wheat berries were the only grain of that type that you would see in a salad. I use them to make a Deconstructed Italian Easter Pie (here), wherein the berries, suspended in honey, are spooned over whipped goat cheese. And I stir leftover wheat berries into ricotta or yogurt for breakfast or dessert; I got this idea from an obscure Sicilian dessert that consists of cooked wheat berries stirred into a bowl of lightly sweetened ricotta and topped with shaved dark chocolate. I strongly suggest you cook yourself some wheat berries, pick up a tub of ricotta, and get on this right now.
1 cup wheat berries, rinsed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the wheat berries and salt. Reduce the heat to medium-high and gently boil the wheat berries, uncovered, until they are tender but still chewy, 50 to 60 minutes. Drain the wheat berries and serve, or transfer to a wide bowl or baking sheet to cool to room temperature if you’re cooking them to use in a salad.
Makes about 3 cups
Wild rice, an ancient cereal grain native to North America, is not actually rice—it’s a grain variety all its own. It is high in protein, fiber, and other nutrients. When cooked properly (i.e., not overcooked), it is firm and chewy, and the long, slender grains keep their pretty, structured shape. It’s a good gluten-free option in recipes calling for any of the gluten-containing grains, such as in the Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Spelt, Walnuts, and Pecorino (here) or the Farmers’ Market Bowl (here). It is especially delicious with roasted vegetables and other foods with a fall or winter vibe.
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Combine the wild rice, salt, and 2½ cups water in a large sauté pan over high heat. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and gently simmer until the grains are tender but not mushy, about 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the wild rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff gently with a fork. Serve, or transfer the wild rice to a wide bowl or baking sheet to cool to room temperature if you’re cooking it to use in a salad.