Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More [A Cookbook]

We have used this cookbook over the last several months more than we've ever used any other cookbook. The recipes are tempting to look at and delicious when created. The pictures are plentiful and useful. Best of all for us, we have used the recipes and techniques in this book as a great reference and guideline for greatly improving our diet.It is important to note, as author Maria Speck does, that she is in no way writing a diet or health book. However, we found the methods of food preparation and the ingredients she uses are all exceptionally well suited to a very healthy, largely (but not slavishly) Mediterranean diet.Who would have thought eating delicious food prepared with ingredients which have been available for thousands of years (until the modern curse of processed sugar and white flour forced them underground) would promote a healthy diet? What a shock.The best thing I like about "Ancient Grains for Modern Meals" is the passion Maria Speck brings to the subject. You definitely get the feeling this was a book she was destined to write because her love for whole grains goes back to her early childhood. Perhaps more important is her Greek/German ancestry has positioned her between two cultures which are very reliant on completely different whole grains for meal preparation.She goes into great detail about the history, cultivation, and preparation of all the grains she uses in the book. This, plus her many years experience with creative cooking and baking have given the book an extraordinary breadth which is greatly appreciated by readers.We did not find the recipes overly complicated and have been successful with every one we have tried. We had more trouble actually securing the ingredients than making the meals. Because we had to actually hunt down several of the grains we needed to make some of the recipes, we have found sources of fresh food and whole grains which we did not know existed in our town. Big score!Our favorite recipes have turned out to be some of the bread recipes. We like the "Aroma Bread with Coriander and Fennel" (although it is a long process to make, it is so delicious!) and the Floating Sesame Loaf (which is a blast to make, if you are into the process of making bread).The best bread recipe we found in the book is the "Pine Nut Bread with Fennel and Sun Dried Tomatoes." It is simple, quick and has so much flavor you could eat it every day! It is fantastic for sandwiches with ordinary deli meat. We take this bread with a flavorful cheese or a herb spread to anything we are invited to and it is always a smash hit. Just a hint on this bread: Since pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes are so expensive we've sometimes substituted slivered almonds and roasted red peppers with excellent and tasty results.We have also really enjoyed the "Spelt Crust Pizza with Fennel, Prosciutto, and Apples." Absolutely wonderful.We do like to make bread, but they are only a small part of the recipe assortment in the book. There are many breakfast, salad, soup, main dish and dessert recipes available. Well over 100 recipes in all.I'm not even going to go into the "Creamy Rotelle with Basil Yogurt and Mozzarella" (use fresh mozzarella!) or the "Parmesan Polenta with Rosemary Oil Drizzle." These are just a few of the many amazing recipes in this collection. Thank you Maria Speck!Hmmm...Now that I'm looking through it, I think we will try "Quinoa Cakes with Smoked Trout and Lime Mayonnaise" tonight. No wait...maybe "Fire Roasted Tomato Stew with Eggplant and Farro."So many choices, so many delicious recipes!

I bought this based on a few recommendations from sites talking about milling your own grain and I thought this might have a lot of everyday recipes. There is one half page on baking with whole grains, stating once you know what to do the baking will work well, but the only thing she states is that it takes a little more liquid and let it rest for a while. The recipes all look good, but they are not everyday recipes; they are involved and often require ingredients that even health-nuts are not going to have in their pantry or you can’t find outside of a mega-city like New York. There are certainly recipes in here you might make for a big event, those recipes where you want to invest time and effort, but nothing in here is quick and easy. Maybe I’m used to the newer cookbooks that give you great recipes with 5 or fewer ingredients. So not a bad cookbook, just not an everyday cookbook.

I really love cookbooks that are packed with recipes that take simple things already in the house and guide you to make something fabulous and this cookbook totally delivers! If you are looking to increase the amount of fiber and vegetables to your diet, you will find this cookbook jammed with awesome recipes to make it happen. I also like cookbooks that allow me to substitute things (like a different type of cheese than what the recipe calls for) without ruining the dish. I did a LOT of substituting and experimenting after cooking most of the recipes as they are listed, and was able to come up with some great variations. The recipes definitely have a Mediterranean look and feel which is obvious when you consider history, but it's not a diet cookbook, it's a cookbook that takes staples as old as man and reworks them into delicious recipes for today's family. And yes, my kids actually liked everything I made.Here's what I like:-recipes don't call for odd ingredients that you'll never use again and for those that do, there is a listing of sources in the back of the book (I substituted for some of these, and everything came together just fine)-easy to follow directions and pretty fool-proof-really, really yummy!-plenty of variety for all meals-excellent intro to whole grains with a brief history and usesSome make not like:-recipes don't use a lot of meat (easy to add on your own)-recipes not organized by grain typeAlso, kudos to Ms. Speck for creating a wonderful cookbook with plenty of good information (not just recipes) that's not preachy about healthy eating. As she says, she cooks what she likes, and yes, she loves baguettes with plenty of butter. What she does explain is her thought about balance of using whole grains occasionally with the much-maligned processed white flour. She states, "I believe in the right hands and with good ingredients, any food can be a delicacy." And she's right, whole grains do taste really good!

I couldn't agree LESS with the previous review. This is one of the most inspiring cook books I have seen in a long while (and the first I have ever felt strongly enough about to review!). I am actually reading it from start to finish as I would a novel or biography. The book starts with an overview of the ingredients, especially the seeds themselves, and how to cook them. Maria also writes about her childhood experiences in Germany and Greece, where her Mother and Grandmothers taught her the pleasures of a food tradition rich in nuts, fruits and grains. She has adapted these recipes to suit our twenty-first century lifestyle, and the result is a delight.If you have access to a reasonably efficient healthfood shop there should be no trouble finding the ingredients, and the cooking methods are simple to follow. So far, I have only cooked a few of the recipes, but all the results have been quite splendid - Warm Oat Berries with Walnuts and Gorgonzola was a real hit with my family; we ate it with a grilled Tuna steak and green veg - delicious! I can't wait to try some more.

Great book for any home kitchenQuality pressing and brilliant recipesUsed in my kitchen dailyVery happyMy Recommendation to everyone

Fascinating book.

The best "cookbook" title I have bought in the last few years. Certainly the most used. Get stuck in and enjoy the flavours.

Had high hopes for this book that it would have a wide range of down to earth meals using these grains in a variety of ways. sadly it like one of those cooking shows it looks pretty but you are just never going to cook the meals.