Feeding Friendship: Unusual Grain Edition

This time around it was my turn to pick an ingredient. I went with cook's choice of unusual grains like amaranth, quinoa, chia, and the like. In Bill Bryson's most recent book, At Home, he discusses the history of many of the foods and spices that ended up on our tables and noted that out of the roughly 30,000 types of edible plants in the world, just 11 comprise 93% of the human diet. He also went on to say that the ones we eat the most are skewed towards what was easiest for early peoples to grow, and not what was most nutritious. These grains are among a class of amazingly nutritious foods that are beginning to become trendy with the sort of edgy food circles, the extremely health conscious, and the crunchy hippie set.   For my grain I chose chia, partially because I had read a little about it in magazines, and partially because Wegman's carries it in their bulk section. I also bought some wheat berries, but haven't used them yet.

Chia, of Chia Pet fame, is not only a fast-growing sprout, but also a "super food" that can be added to many types of dishes to make them more nutritious and filling without adding a strong flavor. It comes in white and black. Vegans substitute chia gel for butter in baking (!). To make chia "gel," add 1-2 Tbl chia to 1 cup water or fruit juice and let it sit. Apparently the stuff absorbs like 9 times its own volume. You can also make chia "slurry" by adding it to water and then blending the mixture smooth. You can then add it to smoothies without a weird texture. But I digress.

I chose to make Parmesan Israeli Couscous with Chia because I often make something similar as a side dish and because I sort of invented/adpated the recipe and feel good about blogging it. Also, it's tasty and easy! You can do this with or without the chia, if it weirds you out, but I didn't find that it changed the flavor at all from chia-free versions. You'll need:

1 cup Israeli couscous (or regular, if you prefer)
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbl chia
salt & pepper to taste
Italian or Tuscan seasoning (I used the Spice & Tea Exchange's Tuscany Blend)
~ 1 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove (or a little more) minced garlic
~1 Tbl minced onion
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese (to taste)
2 Tbl pine nuts (optional)

If you are using pine nuts, toast them before you begin the couscous proper. I like them because they add a little texture to the dish, but I realize they are expensive. (Use the leftovers in pesto!) Take out the medium saucepan that you intend to use for the couscous and heat it on medium. Throw the pine nuts in there with nothing else. Heat and jiggle the pan until they start to turn slightly brown and smell nutty. Watch them closely to avoid over-browning!

getting toasty

Once they are toasted to your satisfaction, remove them from your pan and let them hang out in a bowl while you cook. 

Now add about a tablespoon of olive oil to your saucepan and saute your minced onion until it's getting translucent, then add your minced garlic for about a 30-second saute. Don't let the garlic get too brown. 

Next, add the cup of dry couscous to the pan. Stir for at least a minute to coat the couscous in the olive oil and slightly toast it. 

Next, I added my seasoning. I didn't measure mine really, so I'd start with 1/2 tsp of your mixture and add more at the end if it's under seasoned. 

You can add your chia at this point or your chicken stock, I'm not sure it matters which goes first. Do not, I repeat not, add your pine nuts at this point.

cha-cha-cha-chia!

Bring your mixture to a boil and then turn the heat down pretty low (I use about a 2 out of 6, which is just above "Lo").  Cover and simmer 12-15 minutes until the liquid is nearly all absorbed, like so: 

almost there!

Now it's time to add your parmesan, salt, pepper, and pine nuts while it's still piping hot. Give it all a good stir and taste to more sure it's seasoned and cheesy enough for you. 

You're ready to serve. In just 15 minutes you've created a yummy side dish that secretly sports a super food. This is a sort of quasi-pilaf formula that works with a lot of things, with or without parmesan. Just add 1/4 cup less than 2x the amount of dry couscous or quinoa you're using. I kept in that 1/4 cup of liquid here to compensate for the absorption powers of the chia. Enjoy!

Parmesan Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts and Chia to go with garlic and fennel marinated chicken

extreme couscous closeup!