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Undeservedly forgotten ancient cereals are gaining popularity in the world again. All thanks to the original taste and undoubted usefulness.
AMARANTH
The oldest plant, amaranth, has wide leaves and complex seed panicles filled with thousands of tiny seeds the size of a grain of millet. Their color changes from purple to yellow. Harvesting amaranth seeds is a laborious process, so amaranth is expensive. Nobody knows how long ago people began to cultivate amaranth. According to some reports, it was grown in Central and South America eight thousand years ago. The staple food of the Aztecs, amaranth was revered by them as a life-giving product that gives strength. Today, amaranth is added to grain breads, crackers, biscuits, and baked goods.
How to use
Amaranth contains more fiber than wheat and rice, but it is also high in protein (about 16%). The quality of amaranth protein is superior to that of most cereals. Especially a lot of protein is concentrated in the germ of the amaranth grain. This protein is rich in lysine and methionine, two essential amino acids. Amaranth works well with legumes to create high quality plant-based protein products.
How to cook
Amaranth can be just cooked. To do this, pour 1 cup of amaranth into a saucepan with 3 cups of cold water, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. However, amaranth prepared in this way is not a very appetizing product, the viscosity and stickiness inherent in amaranth seeds do not contribute to attractiveness. Usually amaranth is flavored by adding herbs and spices, vegetables or other grains. Or they just add amaranth to the soup. Amaranth can also be fried to make something like popcorn. Take a dry wok, skillet or baking sheet, heat over a fire and sprinkle a tablespoon of amaranth on a dry surface. Stir the seeds until they turn into popcorn.
Vegetable soup with amaranth
- Amaranth - 4 tablespoons
- Potatoes - 2 medium
- Carrots - 1
- Tomato - ½
- Zucchini - 1 small
- Red lentils - 2 tablespoons optional
- Vegetable Broth 1.5 L or Marigold Organic Vegetable Broth Cube
- Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
- Salt, freshly ground black pepper, ground celery root, garlic to taste
- Greens (optional parsley, dill, cilantro)
Place a saucepan with vegetable broth, add amaranth, diced potatoes, carrots, bring to a boil. 5 minutes after the broth has boiled, add the diced zucchini and tomato, ground celery, chopped garlic, reduce heat and cook with the lid closed over low heat until tender. Before serving, add salt, pepper, olive oil, herbs. Amaranth gives the soup a slightly sweet nutty flavor.
KINOA
South American Indians began to grow quinoa (quinoa, quinoa) more than three thousand years ago. This pseudo-grain culture formed the basis of their national cuisine. However, after the conquest of America by Europeans, quinoa was undeservedly forgotten. Today, this crop, which has no equal among other grains, is reviving again: the UN has declared 2013 the year of quinoa.
Quinoa is called the "lost grain of the Incas" and has been cultivated in the mountainous regions of Peru and Bolivia for three thousand years. Quinoa was considered a sacred plant and its cultivation was accompanied by special ceremonies.
How to cook
Quinoa is cooked like rice, it is remarkable in that it cooks twice as fast as rice and when cooked increases 4 times. It is used in soups and salads, it is used to prepare second courses (stews, vegetables). Make flour for baking tortillas, breads, and biscuits. It cooks quickly, tastes good and goes well with any vegetables, beans, meat. To get rid of the bitter taste of quinoa, soak it in water for several hours before cooking, and then rinse it thoroughly (or, alternatively, just rinse it very thoroughly for a long time). The taste of quinoa itself is very delicate and mellow. Also, quinoa can be germinated: sprouts 1-1.5 cm long germinate in 1.5-2 days, faster in warmth.
How to use
In terms of its benefits, quinoa is several times superior to other cereals. It has a high protein content, on average 16.2% (for comparison: 7.5% in rice, 9.9% in millet, 11-14% in wheat, 3.5% in corn). Unlike wheat and rice, which contain a small amount of lysine, the amino acid composition of quinoa proteins is very balanced and close to the composition of milk proteins, the number of amino acids is up to 20 types, that is, it contains the entire set of essential amino acids - quinoa fully compensates for the lack of meat in the diet of vegetarians. Quinoa is also called the second mother's milk, since it is almost completely absorbed by the body.
Vitamins and trace elements are fully contained not only in the shell of quinoa seeds, but also in the core itself. Quinoa grains contain all the essential amino acids necessary for the proper development and normal functioning of our body. In addition, quinoa also boasts a high content of dietary fiber, which normalizes digestion and removes cholesterol from the body, as well as magnesium, which ensures a healthy functioning of the cardiovascular system. In addition, quinoa is gluten-free, which many people suffer from intolerance.
Hot quinoa salad
- Quinoa - 150 g
- Bell pepper, red - 1
- Carrots - 1
- Canned corn or green peas to taste
- Garlic - 3 cloves
- Olive oil - 3 tablespoons
- Cumin - 1/2 tsp
- Oregano - 1 tsp
- Salt, black pepper to taste
Rinse the quinoa thoroughly, add three glasses of water and salt. Bring to a boil and, reducing heat, cook for 16-20 minutes. Drain the water. Core the pepper, remove the seeds and cut into cubes. Cut the carrots into small cubes. Drain the corn. Fry the chopped garlic in oil in a deep short time. Add vegetables and fry for about 5-7 minutes. Add the seasonings a minute before the end and stir. When done, add quinoa and stir in olive oil. The dish can be served as a salad and as a side dish for meat.
SPELTA
Spelta is a widespread grain crop at the dawn of human civilization, an ancient type of wheat with a brittle ear and grain that is not threshed from the films. Spelled is often described as "wild wheat", "semi-weed".
Supposed area of origin - Mediterranean. It was grown in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Israel, Armenia, Babylon and other places. The most ancient spelled finds date back to 6-5 millennium BC. NS.
Spelta is mentioned in the poems of Homer, in the writings of Herodotus, Theophrastus, Columella. Spelta porridge until the 18th-19th centuries was a very common dish in Russia. Peasants highly appreciated spelled for its ease of cultivation and unpretentiousness. Its ears did not crumble when ripe, the stems did not fall down even in strong winds and rains, the plant itself did not hurt or spoil by pests. There was only one drawback - the spelled gave little grain and was poorly cleaned. Later it was supplanted, although much more demanding on the climate and less resistant to diseases, but much more productive and easy to process durum wheat.
This continued until the 80s of the last century, when nutritionists suddenly started talking about the beneficial properties of spelled groats.
American spelta (triticum turanicum), grown in the USA, in the warm states of Arizona and Florida, is sold today under the trade name "kamut", which means "soul of the earth". This plant has been known since 1948, when it was found in the sarcophagus of the Egyptian pharaoh. The grain of kamut is several times larger than wheat, and has a tougher scale. Contains more nutrients and protein than other modern wheat varieties.
How to cook
Spelta is used to cook porridge, prepare side dishes for fish and poultry, and add it to soup. Spelled flour is used in baking bread and biscuits. Whole grains can be germinated. Spelled porridge has a pleasant nutty flavor and is very useful, especially for children.
How to use
Spelta contains almost all the nutrients that a person needs, in a harmonious and balanced combination - and not only in the shell of the grain, but evenly throughout the grain. This means it retains its nutritional value even at the finest grind.
Spelta contains almost perfect combination of vitamins, minerals, microelements, protein, carbohydrates and fats necessary for the human body. Spelled contains more protein in percentage terms (from 27% to 37%) than chicken eggs. Gluten protein, which is especially rich in this cereal, contains 18 essential amino acids for the body, which cannot be obtained from animal food. It also contains L-Tryptophan, which improves our overall well-being and creates positive emotions. Violation of tryptophan metabolism in humans leads to serious illnesses.
Thanks to its low gluten content, people with wheat allergies can incorporate spelled into their diet.
Dolma with spelta
- Lentils 80 g
- Spelta 160 g
- Beans 80 g
- Onions 80 g
- Vegetable oil 120 g
- Dried apricots 80 g
- Grape leaves 400 g
- Raisins 40 g
- Greens, ground red pepper, salt.
Mix boiled lentils, spelta, beans with sautéed onions, dried apricots, raisins, herbs, salt, pepper. Wrap the resulting filling in scalded grape leaves in the form of an envelope. Put dolma in rows in a saucepan, add dried apricots, water and sunflower oil and simmer until tender. Sprinkle with herbs when serving.
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