FOOD&DRINK

Go simple and healthy with breakfast grains

Recipes offer variety of morning options outside the bowl.

By Mark Bittman
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Wednesday, July 08, 2009

There are many reasons to rethink breakfast.

Maybe you're trying to get more whole grains into your life, figuring they're more beneficial (and cheaper) than the alternatives, or that they'll help you lose weight or postpone hunger. Or you're sick of sweet breakfasts. Trying to cut down on eggs. Looking for something new.

All those were reasons for me when, a year or two ago, I started eating things at breakfast that you would more likely associate with dinner: black olives, quinoa, miso, dried tomatoes, sesame oil, bok choy, wheat berries, roasted carrots.

The foundation of most of these breakfasts has been whole grains, and making them a morning staple has done me nothing but good. I'm eating more of them, I've lost weight and the morning meal "lasts" longer before I'm hungry again.

Everything is fair game at breakfast — and long has been, of course — but to most Americans, it doesn't seem appropriate to start making what amounts to dinner at seven in the morning. It's one thing to eat leftover pizza, pasta, roast chicken, soup, whatever. It's entirely another to start cooking them while your tea or coffee is still brewing.

It does feel natural, however, to see grains as the basis for a savory breakfast. Grains are the foundation of many traditional breakfasts such as cereal, toast and porridge. They can be fast or prepared in advance, they require little or no attention and they're satisfying. Their flavor is also neutral enough to be the starting point for dishes as simple as oatmeal with scallions and soy or as complex as polenta "pizza" with greens and pancetta, an unusual and spectacular weekend breakfast dish.

About speed and the rushed-morning syndrome: I have long maintained that instant or even "quick" oatmeal is a hoax, given that rolled oats require only a few minutes to make, that even steel-cut oats can be cooked pretty quickly and than any grain can be made "instant" by grinding it a bit finer in a good blender or food processor. There are other tricks that make whole grains faster (pre-cook halfway, soak overnight or use a pressure cooker, for example), but in the past few years I realized that even these aren't crucial. That's because any whole grain can be cooked ahead of time in any quantity.

In addition to the polenta "pizza" and the wheat-berry-soy-scallions bowl, which I eat in one variation or another at least once a week, you might consider coconut oat pilaf, a spicy, aromatic dish that will change the way you think about oatmeal. As for the wild rice and quinoa dish, a kind of stuffing for breakfast, this — like the traditional post-Thanksgiving meal — is a perfect place for leftovers. As is breakfast in general.

Coconut Oat Pilaf

2 Tbsp. peanut oil or butter

1 1/2 cups steel-cut oats (not rolled), rinsed and drained

1 Tbsp. minced or grated ginger

1 Tbsp. mustard seeds (brown or black are both fine)

3 cardamom pods

1 or 2 dried red chiles, such as Thai (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated dried unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, mint, scallions or parsley, or a combination.

Put oil or butter in a pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. When oil is hot or butter melts, add oats and ginger and stir until coated. Add spices and a pinch each of salt and pepper; stir until fragrant, just a minute or two. Stir in 2 1/2 cups water, bring to a boil, and reduce heat so mixture gently bubbles. Cook undisturbed, until most of the water has been absorbed and holes begin to appear on surface, 5 to 7 minutes. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit for at least 10 (or up to 20) minutes. Meanwhile, toast coconut in a skillet over medium-low heat, shaking pan and stirring until it is toasted and fragrant, several minutes (watch carefully that it does not burn). Toss coconut and cilantro into oats, fluffing mixture with a fork. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary and serve hot or at room temperature. Serves 4.

Polenta 'Pizza' With Pancetta and Spinach

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for pan

1/2 cup milk, preferably whole

Salt

1 cup coarse cornmeal

Freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) chopped pancetta

1 pound spinach, washed, trimmed and dried

1 to 11/2 cups Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Heat oven to 450 degrees; brush a layer of olive oil on a pizza pan or cookie sheet. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milk with 21/2 cups water and a large pinch of salt. Bring just about to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and add cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking all the while to prevent lumps from forming. Turn heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently, until thick, 10 or 15 minutes. If mixture gets too thick, whisk in a bit more water. You want a consistency approaching thick oatmeal.

Stir 1 Tbsp. oil into cooked cornmeal (polenta). Spoon it onto prepared pan, working quickly so polenta does not stiffen; spread it evenly to a thickness of about 1/2 inch all over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and put it in refrigerator until it is firm, an hour or more (you can refrigerate overnight).

Put polenta in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it begins to brown and crisp on edges. Meanwhile, put 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and pancetta is nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to take onion and pancetta out of pan; set aside. Add spinach to skillet and sauté until it releases water and pan becomes dry; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Take polenta out of oven, sprinkle with Gorgonzola, then spread onion-pancetta mixture and spinach evenly on top of cheese; drizzle with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Put pizza back in oven for two minutes, or until cheese begins to melt and pancetta and vegetables are warmed through. Cut into slices and serve hot or at room temperature. Serves 4.

Wild Ricea/Quinoa Breakfast Stuffing

1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained

1 Tbsp. fennel seeds

1/2 cup quinoa

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 4 cups water with wild rice and fennel seeds; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, then cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add quinoa and continue cooking, covered, until grains are just tender, about 20 minutes more. Drain if necessary and set aside. Meanwhile, put olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat. Sauté sausage, breaking it up with a fork or wooden spoon, until it is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer sausage to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add chopped fennel and onion to pan and sauté over medium-high heat until vegetables are soft and golden, about 10 minutes more.

Add rice-quinoa mixture and sausage to vegetables and cook until everything is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; serve hot or at room temperature, sprinkled with toasted nuts, if desired. Serves 4-6.

1 1/2 cups wheat berries

Salt

1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil, or to taste

2 Tbsp. soy sauce, or to taste

1/2 cup trimmed and chopped scallions.

In a 4- to 6-cup saucepan, combine wheat berries with a large pinch of salt and enough water to cover them by at least an inch. Bring to a boil and adjust heat so mixture bubbles gently. Cook, stirring occasionally, until wheat berries are tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Add boiling water as necessary to keep wheat berries covered and to keep them from drying out as they swell and become tender. Wheat berries are done when tender with a slight bite to them; ideally you will have cooked out all the water at about the same time they are tender, but if any remains, strain them. (At this point you can drain berries and refrigerate for up to a few days, then reheat when ready to serve.) Fluff wheat berries with a fork and toss with sesame oil. To serve, drizzle with soy sauce and garnish with scallions. Serves 4.

Breakfast outside the box

Here are a few more fast ideas for savory, mostly whole-grain breakfasts:

Breakfast risotto: I can't think of a leftover risotto I wouldn't love at breakfast. But if you're starting from scratch, fry sausage or pancetta in a little oil. Add dried tomatoes, garlic, and onion, then rice. Make the risotto. Finish with cheese, parsley or sage and lemon juice.

Congee: Best in a slow cooker. Use about 1 cup rice to 6 cups liquid — stock mixed with water, or all water. Cook with a little salt, maybe a bit of meat, until very soft and soupy. Top with dried or cooked shrimp, scallions, cilantro, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts or soy. You can use brown rice, too.

Saffron chickpeas: Cook chickpeas in abundant water with garlic and a pinch of saffron. When they're almost done, add salt and chorizo, along with a bit of pimentón if you like. Serve over barley, polenta, rice or flatbread. Other chickpea breakfasts: falafel, hummus.

Whole-wheat flatbread: With Parmesan or olive oil and rosemary.

Stir-fry: Any one you like. I do bok choy with tofu frequently, over whatever cooked grain I have around.

The sandwich: Whole-wheat bread, avocado, tomato. Mayo is optional. Lemon juice is also good.

Grits or polenta: A godsend with Parmesan or other cheese, a lot of black pepper, maybe a bit of butter. Or with shrimp sautéed in butter. Or baked, as in the polenta pizza recipe, but with eggs in place of the greens or tomatoes and mozzarella. Or with eggs and greens, especially kale.

Vaguely Japanese: Bake leftover brown rice with eggs, drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce and garnish with toasted nori.

— Mark Bittman