Kamut, Tuna, and White Bean Salad

Okay, we're excited. It's less a little over two months until our new book comes out: GRAIN MAINS. All whole grain main courses. And we mean whole grains. No desserts, no side dishes. And no flours, no pasta. Or if there is a whole grain flour in a recipe, there's a "true" whole grain in there as well. It's the first book of its kind--moving whole grains to the center of the plate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (To get your copy, click here for amazon, here for Barnes & Noble, or here for indepedent booksellers.)

To celebrate, we thought we'd blog a simple, whole-grain recipe that's something of a lunch standard in our house. It's made with KAMUT, an organic brand of ancient khorasan wheat--and surely one of our favorite whole grains on the market. Kamut has a nutty, chewy pop; it's mild and sweet as well, a perfect foil to the tuna in this whole-grain rendition of lunch.

So let's get to it.

For three to four servings, you'll need to soak 1 cup Kamut overnight in a bowl of water. We find that soaking whole grains is not always necessary--it's a texture issue--but in this recipe, we wanted the most pop from each grain, and so soaking does the trick. Just put a bowl of Kamut to soak on the counter before you go to bed.

The next morning, drain the Kamut in a colander set in the sink, scrape it into a large saucepan, and fill the saucepan about two-thirds full of cool water. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and cook, stirring once in a while, until the grains are tender but still have that characteristic chew, between 45 minutes and 1 hour, depending on how much residual moisture those grains have. Drain in a colander set in the sink and run cool water over the Kamut until it's room temperature.

Dump a 6-ounce can of tuna into a bowl, also add a 15-ounce can of drained and rinsed white beans, and two or three quartered jarred artichoke hearts--or 8 to 12 frozen-and-thawed artichoke quarters. (Want even less work? Look for those ingredients on a well-stocked salad bar of a large supermarket.)

Stir in the Kamut, then add the fresh herbs, 2 to 3 tablespoons. We used oregano, dill, and chives. But you should feel free to use what you have on hand--or what suits your taste.

Then stir in a drizzle of olive oil as well as some white balsamic vinegar. Amounts? It's a matter of taste. Add a little of both, then taste the salad. You'll see if it hits your standard, or your can adjust. Salt and pepper as well--and you're ready to go.

Take it in a container to work--and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, more meals at the ready.

Comments

[Terry]

Looks yummy. Kamut is on my list of grains to try - now I know what I"ll try it in.

[Jackie@Syrup and Biscuits]

Thank you for the introduction to kamut. I will certainly look for it in my grocery store.