GREAT GRAINS
Master these techniques to make tasty salads every time
There’s something comforting about having a pantry stocked with whole grains. Just having them on hand, with intentions to put them to good use, feels nourishing.
But you can’t eat intention — and because whole grains are not what I intuitively reach for in the kitchen, my answer is grain salads. They offer an easy, accessible way both to make use of the whole grains I’ve been neglecting and to explore the ones I don’t know as well.
Creating a great grain salad can be organized into four key components:
GRAINS: Virtually any grain can lay the foundation: wheat berries and their ancient relatives farro and einkorn, rye berries, sorghum, quinoa, millet, rice of all kinds. Even teff and amaranth, typically cooked to a porridge, can be refashioned as grain salads with careful preparation. Each offers a distinct set of flavor and texture characteristics, which means you could stick with your other salad components, switch only the grains and end up with a different result every time.
SUPPORTING PLAYERS (VEGETABLES, HERBS,
PROTEINS): They can bring the most expression to the whole and can be a repository for whatever seasonal bounty you have on hand: slivered asparagus, wedges of radish and fresh peas in the spring; halved tomatoes and coins of zucchini in summer; fistfuls of whatever fresh herbs you have in plenty (I like abundant parsley, cilantro, chervil, and smaller amounts of tarragon, marjoram, oregano and thyme).
Proteins can include lentils or beans, baked tofu, cubed or crumbled cheese, hard-cooked eggs. If you eat meat, you could add shredded bits from a leftover roast, or flaked smoked fish.
DRESSING: You could use a good bottled dressing, but it’s easy (and typically better-tasting) to make your own. Because of the earthy foundation laid by the grains, a more acidic-tasting dressing is what I tend to prefer. A red- or white-wine vinaigrette or lemon dressing pairs well with most grains and accompaniments. Fresh, best-quality oils are important to use here, because any flaws will be impossible to conceal.
ADD-INS: Toasted nuts or seeds, olives, capers, toasted and crumbled seaweed, pungent or salty cheeses, avocado, chopped dried fruit are optional, but such a good idea. They add texture and extra pops of flavor, making each bite (and the whole picture) a little more interesting. You can go overboard with these, so try combinations of two or three per salad.
Whatever ingredients you use, you’re striving for a balance of texture and flavor. The proportions of each component will vary, but a salad composed of equal parts grains and vegetables by volume, with perhaps half as much protein and a modicum of accessory ingredients is a sound guide.