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Ancient Grains: Whole-food Recipes for the Modern Table by Catherine Saxelby

5/10/2013

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Ancient Grains: Whole-food Recipes for the Modern Table. Image courtesy Arbon Publishing.
Grab yourself a fork and let's tuck in to the delicious and nutritious Bulgur and Fig Salad on the cover of Ancient Grains: Whole-food Recipes for the Modern Table. This image sets the scene for the contents of the latest book from Australia's leading nutritionist and best-selling author, Catherine Saxelby, who enjoys great food and is keen to overturn the notion that grains can be bland and old-fashioned by revealing that cooking with ancient grains can offer a rich palette of flavourful meals.
Ancient grains include amaranth, oats, quinoa, teff (an ancient African grain), buckwheat, barley, rice, millet, rye, chia, sorghum, ancient wheat and wheat products such as bulgur and couscous, together with corn or maize, and wild rice. In this interview on ABC RN Life Matters, Catherine speaks with Natasha Mitchell and says that ancient grains have been overlooked by modern farmers and agriculturalists and are only just being discovered. The distinction being that many less processed grains, such as millet, quinoa, wild rice and chia, are gluten free and are therefore perfect for people who suffer irritable bowel syndrome (although curiously, and to my great disappointment, quinoa bothers my own digestive system). 

Catherine explains that consuming whole grains regularly can improve digestion, assist with weight management, and reduce the risk of developing many chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. 'It is well known that processed foods, such as refined wheat and white rice, lack the nutritional goodness of whole grain food, but people have been confused about what grains to buy, and how to cook and incorporate them into their everyday foods,' Catherine says. 'Ancient Grains demystifies this and will show you how to incorporate grains into familiar recipes in easy and delicious ways.'

In the foreword, Professor Manny Noakes, a senior research scientist with the CSIRO and co-author of the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet series, points out that 'among the benefits of eating whole grains that seems most appealing is the evidence that they actively assist in weight management. More particularly, whole grains seem to help with fat loss from the abdominal ("tummy") region [ok, I'm listening...] ...  although it is not yet know exactly why this may be the case.' Ms Noakes says she loves that idea that the food we eat has a unique story, and delving into the history of the food choices of our ancestors adds another dimension to preparing, eating and appreciating great-tasting wholesome food.

Chapters in Ancient Grains outline what constitutes whole grain; then there's a comprehensive guide to the different grains, where they come from, what they’re good for, how they’re good for you (nutrient content), and how to prepare and use them; as well as a guide to the to the varieties of each grain, including their basic taste, texture, preparation and uses. Best of all are the recipes. The book offers more than 100 contemporary, interesting and quite mouthwatering recipes for breakfast and brunch, breads and baked goods, soups and starters, mains, side dishes and salads, as well as some yummy desserts (!) such as a chocolate almond bar cookie slice, and the lemon crepe torte made with Kamut® flour. There are dishes for vegans, vegetarians, meat-lovers and followers of gluten-free or low GI diets. However, I feel that Ancient Grains offers something for everyone who enjoys good, nourishing food, and from my perspective succeeds in making ancient and whole grains things we want to eat, not things we think we should eat.

Ancient Grains: Whole-food Recipes for the Modern Table by Catherine Saxelby with contributors Chrissy Freer, Anna Phillips, Tracy Rutherford, $34.99, Arbon Publishing. Thank you to my friend and colleague, Catherine Saxelby (and Arbon Publishing) for giving me the opportunity to review this title.
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Corn Fritters with Lemon Thyme and Smoked Salmon. Image courtesy Arbon Publishing.
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    Bookshelf

    Cookbook reviews and interviews with food writers and chefs.



    Titles/Authors

    All
    101 Cookbooks
    5:2 Lifestyle
    Adam Liaw
    Adrian Richardson
    Almond Bar
    Almonds : Recipes
    Ancient Grains
    Annabel Crabb
    Anna Bergenström And Fanny Bergenström
    Anna Gare
    Annie Rigg
    A Passion For Fruit
    A Story Of Seven Summers
    Australian Vegetable Garden
    Bake
    Catherine Saxelby
    Charmaine Solomon
    Chefs
    Clive Blazey
    Coffee Trails
    Complete Food And Nutrition Companion
    Cookery Book
    Country Womens Association Classics
    Crust
    Culture
    David Thompson
    Delicious
    Delicious Every Day
    Delicious. Home Cooking
    Dish It Up
    Doggylicious
    Dominique Rizzo
    Eat
    Eat In
    Eleanor Ozich
    Elizabeth David
    Emma Galloway
    Farmers Market Family Cookbook
    Food Markets Of The World
    Frances Mayes Edward Mayes
    Francis Van Arkel
    Fried Chicken & Friends By Gregory Llewellyn & Naomi Hart
    Growing Your Own Fruit And Vegetables
    Guy Mirabella
    Hayden Quinn
    Heidi Swanson
    Hilary Burden
    History
    Home Baking
    Home Cheese Making In Australia
    Hungry
    Ian Hemphill
    In A Glass
    Indochine
    Italian Food
    Jane Grover
    Johnnie Mountain
    Jo Wheatley
    Kate Walsh
    Limoncello And Linen Water
    Lorenza De'Medici
    Love
    Love Aimee X By Aimee Twigger
    Luke Mangan
    Luke Nguyen
    Maggie Beer
    Maggie's Christmas
    Margaret Fulton
    Marie Claire Summer
    Marion Grasby
    Marion's Kitchen
    Mark Jensen
    Matthew Evans
    Maximum Flavour
    Monday Morning Cooking Club The Food
    Monday Morning Cooking Club - The Food
    My Darling Lemon Thyme
    My Family Table
    My Kitchen Year
    My Petite Kitchen
    My Taste Of Sicily
    Naked Food
    New Vegetarian Kitchen
    Nicola Graimes
    Nigel Slater
    Pauline Nguyen
    Pies And Tarts
    Pig
    Real Food Projects
    Rediscover Australian Pears
    Richard Bertinet
    Ruth Reichl
    Salmon Cookbook
    Salt Grill
    Same Same But Different
    Secrets Of The Red Lantern
    Sharon Salloum
    Signature Dishes
    Simply Gluten-free & Dairy-free
    Simply The Best
    Slow Cooking
    Special Delivery
    Spice Notes
    Stephane Reynaud
    Super Natural Every Day
    Sweet Things
    Tessa Kiros
    Thai Food
    The Australian Vegetable Garden
    The Complete Asian Cookbook
    The Diggers Club
    The Dinner Ladies
    The Dirty Chef
    The Feast Goes On
    The Food Of Vietnam
    The Gentle Art Of Preserving
    The Good Life
    The Sisterhood
    The Stories
    The Tuscan Sun Cookbook
    Toby Smith
    Two Asian Kitchens
    Under The Tuscan Sun
    Under The Walnut Tree
    Valerie Pearson
    Veganissimo!
    Winter On The Farm


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