Everything you wanted to know about Vegetarianism and were afraid to ask post...

[dragnlaw]

Anytime I buy a tomato out of season, I ask myself why. There's just no comparison to an in season tomato. Sometimes its the taste, some times the consistency , and most of the time its both.

Same here Larry. But I think we need the colour perhaps even the texture to go along with whatever else we are eating.
and every once in a while there is that...
... unexpected bonus of it actually having a bit of flavour as it really is only the flavour that is lacking

 

[pictonguy]

Do you precook the veggies, since couscous cooks so fast? I have only recently started using it. I finally found wholewheat couscous.

I avoid tomato seeds, since that seems to be the part of the tomato that aggravates my arthritis the most. Passata is made without seeds, so it is my go to for canned or bottle tomato. Have you tried Pastene passata? How does it compare to the Mutti? I have noticed the Mutti while shopping.

No, I haven't tried Pastene but will give them a try if I come across them. I only buy Cento or Mutti canned whole tomatoes.

Also, for the couscous I just treat it like I would a rice pilaf, where you just sautee the veg in if vegetarian, probably an olive oil and go from there.

 

[pictonguy]

Mutti passata is usually regarded as the best (or one of the best) in many surveys, especially because they use the best quality "San Marzano" tomatoes which are considered "top quality" for making passate, they are tastier and sweeter than other tomatoes which tend to be too acidic.
Passate made with "datterini" are super fantastic too.

Yeah, I agree Mutti is hard to beat. Cento whole tomatoes are my go to's but for passata I like Mutti which is for my home use mostly.

At the restaurant I normally just put the Cento tomatoes through a food mill to remove seeds and then in the robo coup for the final consistency I'm looking for in my passata. This is also my base for my tomato sauce.

I will also hand crush tomatoes for certain recipes like Amatriciana or a Puttanesca.

 

[caseydog]

Yeah, I agree Mutti is hard to beat. Cento whole tomatoes are my go to's but for passata I like Mutti which is for my home use mostly.

At the restaurant I normally just put the Cento tomatoes through a food mill to remove seeds and then in the robo coup for the final consistency I'm looking for in my passata. This is also my base for my tomato sauce.

I will also hand crush tomatoes for certain recipes like Amatriciana or a Puttanesca.

Cento San Marzano tomatoes are easy to find here, so that's what I buy. I usually hand crush them for my cooking, which is always an adventure. Don't wear a nice shirt when you do that.

CD

 

[GotGarlic]

Do you precook the veggies, since couscous cooks so fast? I have only recently started using it. I finally found wholewheat couscous.

There are two kinds of couscous - tiny Moroccan couscous and Israeli couscous, which is about the size of a black peppercorn. The latter take longer to cook - usually 10-12 minutes, like pasta. However, I like it best with diced grilled vegetables and a vinaigrette made with white wine vinegar.

 

[taxlady]

Love the answers, but I'm difficult. I like my whole grains.

Also, for the couscous I just treat it like I would a rice pilaf, where you just sautee the veg in if vegetarian, probably an olive oil and go from there.

I only buy brown rice. I tried making a pilaf where you toast the rice in oil with the veggies before you add the water. My brown basmati usually cooks in about a half an hour after the first 7 minute boil, when I put the lid on and turn the heat down to low. An hour and half after I boiled the rice, the rice still wasn't cooked. I haven't tried again since that. 40-50 years ago, I just threw some chopped up veg in with my brown rice and some dry fruit and dry peppers. That worked pretty well.

There are two kinds of couscous - tiny Moroccan couscous and Israeli couscous, which is about the size of a black peppercorn. The latter take longer to cook - usually 10-12 minutes, like pasta. However, I like it best with diced grilled vegetables and a vinaigrette made with white wine vinegar.

I haven't found any whole wheat Israeli couscous. I have only found the very quick, tiny ones in whole wheat.

 

[pictonguy]

Love the answers, but I'm difficult. I like my whole grains.

I only buy brown rice. I tried making a pilaf where you toast the rice in oil with the veggies before you add the water. My brown basmati usually cooks in about a half an hour after the first 7 minute boil, when I put the lid on and turn the heat down to low. An hour and half after I boiled the rice, the rice still wasn't cooked. I haven't tried again since that. 40-50 years ago, I just threw some chopped up veg in with my brown rice and some dry fruit and dry peppers. That worked pretty well.



I haven't found any whole wheat Israeli couscous. I have only found the very quick, tiny ones in whole wheat.

I use whole grain basmati all the time with pilaf and never experienced the problem you've had, sorry don't have an answer, unless low heat was too low or not enough water. I never boil rice for 7 minutes before I reduce the temp. Brown rice requires more water and I normally use about 2.5 C for every 1C of rice and pop it in the oven covered for about 25-30 minutes unlike white which takes about 15 minutes.

 

[larry_stewart]

In recent years, I've been incorporating more whole grains or whole grain products like Bulgar wheat, Farro, wheat berries, Freekeh more in my dishes and shying away from cous cous, and white rice. On occasion , I do make exceptions as certain dishes and cuisines are just the same without a bed of cous cous, basmati or Jasmin rice ...

 

[pictonguy]

Hey Larry, we serve a lot of both farro and wheat berries, those are some of the best tasting whole grains I've come across, very under rated.

 

[Kathleen]

No, but it sound like we grew up in the same neighborhood.

I still enjoy baked bean sandwiches with a squirt of ketchup or the 70s hippie version of chickpea of the sea sandwich spread.

Much of the influence is from my maternal grandmother who grew up and raised her young family in the days before rural electrification and mechanical refrigeration. She had a heavy hand with butter and bacon fat but eating from the garden was just a simple fact of life.

I find your posts helpful and informative. I’ve adapted many of your tips and techniques to my way of doing things with good results.

Two cooking books that have also been helpful to me are More with Less Cookbook by Doris Jansen Longacre and the original Laurel's Kitchen by Carol Lee Flinders, Laurel Robertson, et al.

I definitely grew up in this neighborhood!

 

[larry_stewart]

Hey Larry, we serve a lot of both farro and wheat berries, those are some of the best tasting whole grains I've come across, very under rated.

Couldn't agree more, and II love the texture too!

 

[blissful]

Farro is great. It doesn't take too long to cook and it doesn't get gummy. I've started making wheat berries (or rye berries) in the IP pot and that goes quicker than making it on the stove. I make it in big batches and freeze it in pint containers. Our meal sized salads (16-24 oz) use about 1/4 cup wheat berries on it.

We've stopped expecting tomatoes to be great in salads in winter. When we have strawberries we use those instead and diced apple to replace the tomatoes.

 

[Aunt Bea]

The mention of wheat berries reminded me of this salad.

More of a guide than a recipe, just use what you happen to have on hand.

Italian Wheat Berry Salad

This Italian Wheat Berry Salad is simple, fresh and full of delicious flavor, protein and fiber. Perfect for picnics or barbecues!

aggieskitchen.com

Also, the old Italian wheat berry ricotta pie that used to be a popular Easter treat in this area.

 

[caseydog]

I use whole grain basmati all the time with pilaf and never experienced the problem you've had, sorry don't have an answer, unless low heat was too low or not enough water. I never boil rice for 7 minutes before I reduce the temp. Brown rice requires more water and I normally use about 2.5 C for every 1C of rice and pop it in the oven covered for about 25-30 minutes unlike white which takes about 15 minutes.

I know brown rice is good for you, but I just don't like eating it. Same with whole wheat bread, although I'm okay with whole wheat toast, slathered with butter, which kind of offsets the benefits of the whole wheat bread.

Growing up in SE Texas, rice was in almost every good meal. The local food there was Cajun. It was long grain white rice like Basmati, which was grown down there -- it is a major cash crop in SE Texas.

CD

 

[pictonguy]

I know brown rice is good for you, but I just don't like eating it. Same with whole wheat bread, although I'm okay with whole wheat toast, slathered with butter, which kind of offsets the benefits of the whole wheat bread.

Growing up in SE Texas, rice was in almost every good meal. The local food there was Cajun. It was long grain white rice like Basmati, which was grown down there -- it is a major cash crop in SE Texas.

CD

I like both whole grain and white rice and when I say I eat whole grain a lot I mean it's probably 20% of the time. There's a need for white rice in cultures where I'm not going to argue with them, I'm just not going to be eating sushi with whole grain rice or not eat white jasmine with thai.

Bread, that's a whole new ballgame, while I don't mind certain whole grain breads, it's just not what I eat most of the time. Focaccia, baguettes and Italian or Portuguese are my breads for home, that's never going to change, with lots of good organic butter, lol. I don't consume a lot of rice or bread, just periodically and when I do it's what I like and not what's popular or politically correct. I'm a big believer is a whole food diet but without waving the flag.

 

[Meryl]

The mention of wheat berries reminded me of this salad.

More of a guide than a recipe, just use what you happen to have on hand.

Italian Wheat Berry Salad

This Italian Wheat Berry Salad is simple, fresh and full of delicious flavor, protein and fiber. Perfect for picnics or barbecues!

aggieskitchen.com

Also, the old Italian wheat berry ricotta pie that used to be a popular Easter treat in this area.

Yes, in fact this ricotta pie looks similar to the one I baked (Pastiera Napoletana), posted photo on the Good Friday menus thread