Farro with Mango, Dates and Nuts

Farro with Dates, Nuts and Mango

People are always surprised when I say that Tu B’Shevat is one of the most delicious of the Jewish holidays — gastronomically speaking, of course! For a woman like me, who loves fruits, nuts, whole grains, (classic ingredients for Tu B’Shevat recipes) — making something for this holiday is a real treat.

I demonstrated this dish a few months ago at Temple Beth El Synagogue in Stamford, CT as part of a Rosh Hashanah event. Thing is, this dish is a year ‘round favorite, but is especially appropriate for Tu B’Shevat.

WHOLEGRAIN SALAD WITH DATES, NUTS AND MANGO

• 1 cup wholegrain such as freekeh, farro, brown rice, oat groats, barley

• 8 medjool dates, chopped

• 1 cup thawed, frozen peas, cubed tofu or leftover chicken

• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios)

• 1/2 cup raisins

• 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced (or use peach, nectarine or halved grapes)

• 4 chopped scallions

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 3 tablespoon mango juice or orange juice   

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook the grain according to package directions until the grains are tender but still somewhat firm and all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Place the cooked grain in a bowl. Add the dates, peas, nuts, raisins, mango, scallions, parsley and mint. Toss ingredients gently to distribute them evenly. Combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, mango/orange juice and lemon juice and whisk vigorously. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss the salad and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings

Sorghum “Filling” for Thanksgiving

My mother never made Thanksgiving stuffing. She called her version “filling,” which had more or less the same ingredients as basic bread stuffing, but substituted barley shaped egg noodle pasta for the bread.

That recipe is still one of my go-tos, except that I have made one important change recently. Instead of using the pasta, I make it with sorghum.

I discovered sorghum grain last summer at the Fancy Food Show. Although I was familiar with sorghum syrup, I hadn’t realized the grain itself was available and so was intrigued when I saw the Wondergrain booth where there were pots of cooked sorghum for tasting.

Of course I tasted.

I loved it and ever since have been working with sorghum grain to make all sorts of comforting cold-weather casseroles (and also some refreshing summer salads).

I will be serving Sorghum Filling for Thanksgiving because the grain has so many benefits. I will never go back to the pasta version.

Wondergrain sorghum is:

gluten free

cholesterol free

Non GMO

kosher

a good source of fiber and iron

It’s also pleasurably chewy and tasty. A fabulous pasta substitute.

Wondergrain — who did NOT pay me to write this post — sells both whole grain and pearled sorghum. Their website offers some good looking recipes plus a video on how to cook the grain. The product does not have wide distribution yet, but I hope it soon will. Meantime, if you don’t live near one of the retail shops listed in their store locator, you can order online at http://www.wondergrain.com/shop/. 

Sorghum “Filling”

• 1 cup sorghum grain, whole grain or pearled
• vegetable stock and/or water
• 5 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 10-12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook the sorghum with stock or water according to the instructions on the package (pearled sorghum will take 35-40 minutes, whole grain sorghum will take 45-55 minutes). Set the cooked sorghum aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until slightly softened. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Spoon the vegetables and any cooking fluids into the pan with the sorghum. Stir to distribute the ingredients evenly. Stir in the eggs, parsley, remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and salt and pepper. Spoon the ingredients into a baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crispy.

Makes 6-8 servings

Chicken Freekeh Salad with Mango, Dates and Pistachios

I’ve always loved the Fancy Food Show, not just because the eating is swell, but because I enjoy seeing what’s current in the food world and what manufacturers have come up with in the last year.

Trying out something new is always an exciting prospect as far as I am concerned.

And yet, for me, two of the show favorites this year were old timers that have become staples of my kitchen: freekeh and dried dates.

While freekeh is familiar at our house, I do realize that it isn’t exactly as well-known as most other grains. If you haven’t heard of it or haven’t tried it, I heartily recommend it. Freekeh is a whole grain that fills in for well-known starches such as white rice, noodles and potatoes, but is much lower on the glycemic index than those ingredients. It also has lots of fiber and protein and is a good source of calcium and iron.

It’s a variety of wheat, so it is NOT gluten-free.

There are several brands available in supermarkets and online; I tried some from Freekehlicious, which sells both whole and cracked freekeh. They sent me home with a sample of their soon-to-come freekeh pasta. (Haven’t tried it yet.)

Freekeh is nutty and toasty tasting. I love it plain and hot with a squirt of olive oil, and also cool, for salad, like the chicken salad recipe below (that includes freekeh, mango, nuts and a citrusy vinaigrette).

Dried dates are like candy— sweet, chewy and indulgent. I frequently snack on them late in the afternoon though sometimes I cut them up into my breakfast yogurt.

I have always bought Medjool dates, but at the Fancy Food Show I tried several other varieties, including safawi, saggae and sukkary at the Sahara Date Company booth. I’m convinced. If I see these in my supermarket, I’m going to be a buyer.

Because dates are so naturally sweet, they’re a good fit with tangy, citrusy and acidic ingredients. So they work harmoniously in this chicken salad too.          

Chicken Freekeh Salad with Mango, Dates and Pistachios  

• 1 cup wholegrain freekeh (or use some other whole grain)

• 1-3/4 cups water

• 2 cups diced, cooked chicken

• 1 cup chopped dates

• 3/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts

• 1/2 cup golden raisins

• 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

• 4 chopped scallions

• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, preferably flat leaf

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 3 tablespoon mango juice or orange juice   

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the freekeh and water in a saucepan over high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil, stir, cover the pan and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 30-35 minutes or until the grains are tender but still somewhat firm and all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Place the cooked freekeh in a bowl. Add the chicken, dates, pistachio nuts, raisins, mango, scallions, parsley and mint. Toss ingredients gently to distribute them evenly. Combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, mango/orange juice and lemon juice and whisk vigorously. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss the salad and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Kaniwa Salad with Roasted Tomatoes

If you’ll be fasting for Yom Kippur (or any other holiday or before a medical procedure or diet or for any other reason), it’s good to fill up first on foods like complex carbs and beans, which help you maintain your energy levels and make you feel fuller, longer (because they take longer to digest).

Also, don’t eat salty foods (they make you too thirsty).

This salad is worth a try. It’s made with kaniwa, which is similar to quinoa only the seeds are even tinier, about the size of poppy seeds. Kaniwa is easier to use than quinoa because the seeds don’t need rinsing (quinoa is coated with natural, but bitter-tasting saponins that must be rinsed off before you cook the seeds). 

But kaniwa, like quinoa, is extremely versatile. You can bulk up this salad with all sorts of ingredients: avocado, celery, scallion, corn, peas, chopped bell pepper. And so on.

Kaniwa Salad with Roasted Tomatoes

1 cup kaniwa

1-1/2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup cut up green string beans

1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained

1 stalk celery, chopped, optional

1/3 cup pitted cured black or green olives, halved

1 medium avocado, chopped, optional

2 chopped scallions, optional

3-4 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the kaniwa in a saucepan, cover with 1-3/4 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. Place the kaniwa in a bowl and let cool. While the kaniwa is cooling, place the tomatoes in a baking dish and pour about a half tablespoon of olive oil over them. Roll the tomatoes around the dish to coat them, then roast the tomatoes for about 10 minutes or until wilter. Set aside. Cook the green beans in lightly salted water for 6-8 minutes or until crunchy-tender. Drain and add to the kaniwa. Add the roasted tomatoes and any accumulated juices. Add the beans, olives and celery, avocado and scallions, if used, and toss ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in the remaining olive oil and toss. Add 3 tablespoons of the lemon or lime juice, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add more juice if needed. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 4-6 servings