Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way

September 18, 2006
In this incredibly thorough, A-to-wheat berries guide to whole grains, Sass (Cooking Under Pressure
) begins with a thoughtful and extensive primer on whole grains, including detailed profiles and basic cooking instructions for each. She covers no fewer than 20 kinds of rice (Bhutanese red, black Japonica) and just as many types of wheat before launching into recipes for soups and salads, main courses, side dishes, breakfast foods and desserts. The dishes are surprisingly tempting and varied, and the entries are more sophisticated than one might expect in a whole grain book. Thai Chicken Soup with Chinese Black Rice; Quinoa and Calamari Salad; Corn Polenta with Sausage and Peppers; Popcorn-Crusted Catfish; and Wild Rice Medley with Braised Chicken in Balsamic-Fig Sauce. And the sweets and desserts, like Chocolate Chip-Hazelnut Cookies, Popcorn-Almond-Caramel Balls, and Tarragon-Scented Rustic Nectarine Tart, prove that incorporating whole grains into the diet can be downright decadent.

November 15, 2006
Author of more than a dozen cookbooks, Sass now presents an excellent primer on whole grains, with more than 150 recipes. Following a general introduction to whole grains, she presents "Flavor Profiles" of grains from amaranth to wild rice; each of these includes a chart detailing the various forms of the grain and basic cooking methods, along with suggestions for "compatible foods and flavors." The recipes are inspired by a variety of cuisines, ranging from Thai Chicken Soup with Chinese Black Rice to Teff Polenta with Ethiopian Chicken Stew. Sass's cookbook/reference is a good companion to Sheryl and Mel London's "The Versatile Grain and the Elegant Bean" (o.p.), the classic in the field, and she includes some "newer" grains or family members that were almost unknown when their book was published. For all subject collections.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.