Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

BOIL ’N’ STEAM BROWN



RICE

I have never been a great fan of brown rice. It
always seemed so stodgy and broken by over­
cooking. Then we found this long-grain brown
rice, used my old boil ’n’ steam method for long-
grain converted white rice, and it worked well.
It does take an extra 10 minutes or so, though,
so we always make double and freeze the un­
used portion. Brown rice is a better choice for
diabetics, who need to slow down the conver­
sion to sugars.
MAKES 4 ¾-CUP SERVINGS

1 cup long-grain brown rice
5 cups fi ltered water
½ teaspoon salt

Put rice in a strainer or sieve and wash well
under running cold water. In a medium sauce-
pan, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the
rice, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook
30 minutes.
In a second pot, bring water to a boil and
place a hand sieve on top. When the rice is
fi nished boiling, turn it into the sieve, cover
tightly, and let steam for 8–10 minutes.

Per serving : 171 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 36 g
carbohydrate, 4 g protein, 2 g dietary fi ber, 306  mg
sodium

COUSCOUS

North African Durum



Semolina Grains

This classic starch consists of dry, fl uffy, tiny

granules, and most commercially available

types are, in fact, presteamed and dried, and

can be made in less than 6 minutes. Varieties

distinguished by larger granules take longer to

cook and don’t have the same fine texture but

are equally good. Couscous does a fi ne job of

soaking up gravy and can also form the base

of an excellent light-starch salad. It is usually

cooked in water, but I greatly prefer using veg­

etable stock.

One cup dry will make 3½ cups cooked. I

use ½ cup of lightly packed cooked couscous

for a side dish, and a full cup for a salad base.

SERVES 6–7

1¾ cups low-sodium vegetable stock

(see page 288) or water

1 cup couscous

1 teaspoon salt (if water is used)

Bring the stock to a boil in a small saucepan.

Add the couscous and stir four or fi ve times.

Remove from the heat, cover, and allow to

plump up for 5 minutes. With a fork, gently

tease the mix to separate the grains.

Per ½ cup serving : 99 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated

fat, 3 g protein, 20 g carbohydrate, 3 g protein, 31 g

dietary fiber, 28 mg sodium

GRAINS AND STARCHES • 293