Also known as pearl couscous, Israeli couscous is much larger than the more common North African variety, making it better suited to hearty salads. Look for it in the international section of grocery stores or substitute with barley or quinoa.
Here's a Japanese soup that is home-kitchen friendly. Look for miso (a prepared soybean and rice or barley paste) and nori (paper-thin sheets of seaweed used for sushi) at Asian or health food stores. Because miso settles, have guests stir their soup before eating.
A friend of Joan's, also a farm woman, travelled through Australia last winter and brought back this recipe from a farm family she knows there. They make this chewy salad with brown rice, but Joan changed the grains to wheat, barley and wild rice to reflect her Saskatchewan crops. Look for wheat berries in your local health food store.
Wheat berries (soft wheat kernels) give a nutty chewiness to this version of a popular takeout salad. Look for them in health and bulk food stores as well as in the grains or organic/special diet section of the supermarket. You can use barley instead, but cook it for only 20 minutes.
This bread is a quick yeast-risen loaf, requiring no starter and minimal rising times. The tart yogurt and rich malt syrup balance its sweetness, and the texture is soft yet fairly dense. Barley malt syrup is the tastiest malt to use in bread-baking; wheat malt syrup is milder and sweeter. Look for malt syrup at health food, bulk food and large grocery stores.
My inspiration for the recipe began with an amazing cheese course I had at a dinner party at my sister's house. Rosemary honey drizzled on sharp cheese on a gourmet cracker. Divine! I knew my recipe had to have a rosemary honey component (and lucky for me I had overwintered a rosemary plant from my garden.) Thyme honey, my alternate choice and made the same way, was also delicious. I also wanted to focus on local prairie ingredients...you can't find lemons or olive oil here so I didn't put any in my recipe! I love risotto and thought it a good way to bring the sharp cheese into the recipe. I don't like the constant stirring of the usually method so tried local grains baked instead. The oats are creamy and the barley still has slight bite so it is a great combination. A friend who was sampling my recipe stated, "the risotto was a real surprise, the star of the show." I choose pickerel because it is a local prairie fish, is quite mild, and blends nicely with the other flavours. Rainbow trout also works nicely. The carrots and parsnips were grown locally and the rosemary honey just brings out the flavours wonderfully. To serve: Scoop a generous portion of risotto onto plates. Place an array of vegetables to the side of risotto, then top with a half fillet of pickerel. Drizzle with remaining rosemary honey and garnish with sprig of parsley. Excellent with any British Columbia Meritage or Pinot Grigio Note: If you have any leftover risotto, it is delicious for breakfast with crispy bacon on the side!
This thick, rich, colourful chili is full of flavour. Butternut squash and corn add a touch of sweetness that offsets the mild heat from the chili powder. Serve with crumbled queso fresco (a Mexican cheese), sour cream and fresh cilantro.
Traditional versions of this soup simmer everything – bones and all – for hours. But we like our vegetables less mushy, so we prepare the lamb stock first then finish the soup with fresh vegetables and meat from the stock.
Grilling the corn gives a nice smoky flavour and a Southwestern touch to this salad. If you are short of time, substitute 2 cups (500 mL) cooked fresh or frozen corn kernels.
