Category: Grains

Easy Baked Pasta

A simple choice for times when you want something more than just pasta, but don’t have the time to make a lasagna. Turn the oven to 375°. Select a two- or three-quart casserole dish (such as a 9x12x2″ glass baker). Combine the pasta and tomato sauce and stir together. Layer half of the pasta into

Barley porridge

Simmer 1/2 cup barley in 2 cups of almond milk. Use the lowest possible heat; almond milk boils over if you look at it sideways. In about 45 minutes, the grains will have absorbed all the almond milk. Options: add a couple of eggs to the hot pot, spoon hot barley on top, put the

Focaccia

I wish I had known twenty years ago that we could have home-made focaccia as often as we wanted and with just fifteen minutes of effort. Start by making a basic no-knead bread dough: this step takes less than ten minutes. In a large bowl, mix three cups of all-purpose flour, a teaspoon and a

No-Knead Bread

I tried to bake bread one or two times in my twenties, failed horribly, and then didn’t try again for twenty years. I might have waited another decade if it wasn’t for the disruption of the Covid lockdown, when getting a fifty pound bag of flour delivered seemed like a more sensible choice than going

Apple-Chestnut Bread Dressing

A traditional side dish at Thanksigiving, some people use this to stuff their turkey, but the emerging consensus is that it’s better to bake it separately — which is good news for us vegetarians! I made this for the first time at this year’s Thanksgiving, after reading a dozen different recipes and extracting the elements

Pasta

Boiling pasta is a key cooking techinque. One pound of pasta typically makes four or more hearty servings, depending on how much sauce you’re using. Recipe Stock pot, or equivalent large pot, with cover Fill the pot with water. Use a large pot and a lot of water; one pound of pasta needs at least

Rice

Plain white rice. Recipe A good medium-sized pot with a tight-fitting lid Rice, one cup, or more Water, two cups, or twice the amount of rice Put the rice and water into the pot. Measure the rice first, so it doesn’t stick to your wet measuring cup. Put the cover on the pot and put

Stuffed Peppers

A medium baking dish, oven-safe casserole, or baking tray Pre-heat your oven to medium (350 degrees) Bell Peppers, 4-6 medium (typically one per serving). Cut off the top of each pepper and scoop out the seeds. Stand the peppers in the baking dish. If necessary, cut off a protruding bit of the bottom to encourage