Bean and Grain Cooking Guide

Bean Cooking Guide
Soak Beans overnight if possible. Drain soaking liquid and replenish with cold clear water to cover in non reactive pot. Bring to a quick boil, turn off heat and let sit for 20 minutes. Drain water again (this is the third time), replenish water to cover by two inches. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer till tender. During the second boil you add several pieces of kombu, a tsp of baking soda, vegetable stock paste and seasonings. The second boil is when you add your stock and seasonings.

Legume Cooking Guide
Lentils – Red, Yellow, Brown, Lentils de Puy, Black Beluga– Rinse thoroughly. Put in pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil let sit for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse. Return to pot with vegetable stock and seasonings to cover. Bring to a high simmer and cook till tender. Lentils de Puy or French lentils will be much harder to the bite than the other varieties.
Split peas - Rinse thoroughly. Put in pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil let sit for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse. Return to pot with vegetable stock and seasonings to cover. Bring to a high simmer and cook till tender.

Grain Cooking Guide:
Quinoa – Comes as white red or black micro grains - Rinse thoroughly to remove saponin, Put clean quinoa in pot with water to cover by at least 2 to 4 inches, Bring to a boil, lower to simmer for about 8-10 minutes until “worm” pops out. Drain in fine mesh sieve.
Millet- small round yellow circles. Bring 2 cups water to a boil add 2/3 cup millet reduce to simmer for about 20 minutes. Millet will get mushy and disinigrate so watch it carefully! Taking on flavor of whatever it is paired with.
Rye and Farro wheat – 2 ½ cups water to one cup faro wheat – (the whiter the wheat the quicker it cooks) – plan about 15 – 20 for both on high simmer
Spelt, Kamut and Wheat Berries- hard round reddish brown ovals – Rinse thoroughly to remove grit.. Bring 2 1/2 cups liquid medium to a boil, add 1 cup grain, reduce to a simmer and cover for about 40 minutes. Depending on how they are dried they will cook at different times so keep checking. Drain.
Steel cut Oats – bring 3 cups water to a boil sprinkle in one cup oats slowly, stirring constantly, cover and reduce to simmer for 40 minutes to an hour.
Polenta- Yellow granular corn meal – Polenta is really a feel right kind of substance. Start with 3- 4 cups boiling veg stock and whisk in up to 1 cup polenta. I always add some smart butter and herbamare and white pepper early on. Leave to cook for about 10 minutes stirring constantly it should be thick but creamy and not gritty. There is a lot of testing and tasting involved to get this one just right. Cooking times and quantities vary depending on brand of polenta once you find a brand you like stick with it (I am very fond of Roland)I often add roasted onion and smart balance to polenta as I am cooking for creaminess.
Teff- microscopic brown dots – 2 cups boiling water- 1/2 cup teff - high simmer about 15 minutes
Jasmine Rice or Basmati Rice or Green Bamboo Rice- GET A RICE MAKER – one cup plus a smidge water: one cup rinsed rice – sprinkle herbamare, press button voila OR STOVETOP 2 cups water plus sprinkle of herbamare to boil on stove, add one cup dry rice, bring to boil again, cover lower to simmer and cover, 15- 20 minutes and fluff
Wild Rice – 1 cup wild rice to 4 cups vegetable stock or water – bring liquid to a boil – add rice – simmer for 40 minutes – kernel will burst – drain – add seasonings to taste
Sushi Rice – follow directions for jasmine rice – when cooked add 1 TB rice wine vinegar and 2 tsp sugar – toss till incorporated
Brown Rice, Black Rice or Red Rice ---- follow direction above for stovetop only rinse the rice and do about one cup rice to 1 ¼ cups water – there are a million different varieties of each so check ratios on packages ALSO
Pearled Barley – Rinse one cup barley - put in pot with three cups boiling water – cook at high simmer , covered for 40 minutes
Hulless Barley - same as above only cook about 60 minutes and watch water levels
Bulghur types
Fine - Boil mixture of vegetable stock and vegetable juice– measure out equal amount of fine bulghur – pour boiling liquid over fine bulghur –drizzle with olive oil stir thoroughly cover with saran wrap – let steam for 20 minutes –
Medium – 2 cups vegetable stock to one cup bulghur- boil first then high simmer for at least 15-20 minutes – remove from heat and cover
Coarse – 4 cups liquid medium – I like a combination of vegetable stock and tomato juice – add 1 cup of coarse bulghur – let it rip until liquid mostly absorbed – stir, remove from heat and cover for 20 minutes – fluff
Amaranth – Tricky little bugger – 1 TB olive oil or even dry – sauté 1 cup amaranth till toasty about two – five minutes – add 2 ½ cups liquid – bring to a boil – cover and lower heat for 20 - 25 minutes - fluff
Couscous – Boil mixture of vegetable stock and vegetable juice– measure out equal amount of couscous – pour boiling liquid over couscous –drizzle with olive oil stir thoroughly cover with saran wrap – let steam for 20 minutes – fluff
Buckwheat Groats or Kasha – you can toast these first on a dry hot pan for a little extra flavor or you can just boil 2 cups water , add 1 cup grain, lower to simmer and cook for 15 minutes
Millet – 3 cups liquid medium to 1 cup millet, bring to a boil and lower to a simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes. For sweet millet use fruit juice for savory vegetable stock.