The Spelt Cookbook: Cooking with Nature's Grain for Life - Softcover

Hughes, Helga

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0895296969 ISBN 13: 9780895296962

Publisher: Avery, 1995

Synopsis

The story of spelt goes back over 9,000 years, but only recently has this marvelous little grain’s unique nutlike taste been rediscovered. Spelt makes the perfect ingredient for breads, cakes, cereals, side dishes—and it is a gluten-free, nutrient-rich alternative to wheat.
In The Spelt Cookbook, Helga Hughes shares an exciting collection of over 175 easy-to-prepare recipes that marry the rich taste of golden spelt with a variety of fresh and flavorful ingredients, including Old-World Buttermilk Waffles, White Bean Chili with Elbows, and Hazelnut Granola.
Whether you are looking for a wheat alternative, or simply want to mix up your mealtime routine, The Spelt Cookbook is the only guide you’ll need to the delicious world of spelt cookery.

About this title

About the Author:

Helga Hughes is a successful physical educator, teacher, pilot, chef, and author. She was educated at the Marienheim College in Forchheim, Bavaria, where she first experienced the joys of traditional spelt cooking. After moving to the United States in 1961, Helga taught at health spas and was the activities director at a major Arizona retirement community. She was the founder of the popular Watercise program of prenatal exercise, and author of The Complete Prenatal Water Workout Book. In addition, Helga’s cooking articles have appeared in numerous national newspapers and magazines. She is also the author of several cookbooks.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I would like to express my thanks to Wilhelm W. Kosnopfl, president of Purity Foods, Inc., whose inspiration and encouragement made this book possible. Thanks also go to Purity Foods’ domestic operations manager, Donald A. Stinchcomb, for the statistical information he provided.

I also wish to thank Dr. Ch.I. Kling of the Universität Hohenheim, and Professor William E. Barbeau of Virginia Tech for the invaluable information they supplied about grains; Anna Merighi, my patient cooking teacher, who paved the way for my culinary career; my cousin Luise and her husband, Wolfgang, who introduced me to the teachings of St. Hildegard of Bingen and her belief in spelt as a healing food; and Frau Ott of Störnhof, Bavaria, whose life is dedicated to growing and spreading the benefits of spelt.

As always, my thanks go to my mother, Anna; my godmother, Kuni; my sisters, Lore, Hannah, and Inge; and my cousin Erika for their generous support throughout the project, and for acting as guinea pigs. Thanks also go to the many, many friends and acquaintances whose recipes, over the years, have found their way into my database and have been used and modified many times over.

I would like to express my appreciation to the Vita-Spelt competition winners whose recipes appear in this book. I trust they will accept the alterations I made, all of which were necessary for the purpose of creating a consistent work.

On behalf of all of us who enjoy spelt, I thank farmers everywhere who ensure that crops of this nutritious grain continue to be harvested in a world where wheat almost took over.

Joanne Abrams, my editor at Avery Publishing Group, deserves a special note of thanks for the vast amount of work she put into this book in order to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Finally, thanks go to my husband, Ken, for his support and for his computer skills, which kept my work in controllable order.

Foreword

Spelt is a member of the grass family of grains. It is thought to have originated in the Fertile Crescent, where it was first harvested over 9,000 years ago. In both the Middle East and Europe, spelt was the staff of life for many centuries. The Germans call it dinkel, the Italians refer to it as their beloved farro, and the French know it as epeautre.

To better understand spelt and how you might benefit from it, we must first address a few basic questions. The first is: What makes spelt different from other grains, and why is it a superior food? Spelt has a superior nutritional profile. It is a very good source of complex carbohydrates, protein, iron, and potassium. In its whole-grain form, spelt retains a delicious flavor—not a heavy, bitter taste like that of so many other whole grains. As such, this marvelous grain allows you to prepare high-fiber dishes without sacrificing taste. Spelt is also a good source of essential amino acids, components of protein that are not manufactured by our bodies.

Another basic question is: If spelt is such a superior grain, why haven’t I heard about it before? Spelt fell into disfavor during the Industrial Revolution. As more people moved into the cities, the burden of food production fell more heavily on the shoulders of the remaining farmers. Spelt is a husked grain. This means that the kernel is tightly shrouded in a hull, which has to be removed mechanically. Because wheat does not have such a hull, it can be taken directly from the harvest fields to the flour mill. This convenience saved time and labor. So, with its high yield and lower costs, wheat replaced spelt.

What accounts for spelt’s recent resurgence? The educated consumer knows that food should nourish and support the body, rather than compromise well-being in the interest of good taste. Food should be harmonious with health. Spelt is just such a food. Nature enfolded the spelt kernel in a husk, which protects the grain from the elements. And because the spelt kernel is very delicate, it is easily digested by people who are allergic to wheat. In fact, many naturopathic physicians include spelt in the diets of chronically ill patients, knowing that the last thing these people need is a product that is difficult to digest or a strain on the immune system.

Purity Foods’ interest in spelt developed over time, first when a European customer expressed interest in organically grown spelt, and later when chronically ill individuals wrote to us about the need for this grain. Subsequent trips to Europe, where spelt is recognized as the preferred gourmet baking grain, further strengthened our resolve to bring spelt to the United States.

When we first took on the task of producing spelt products, we knew that it was vital to select the preferred baking variety of spelt for our growers. With this done, we brought the seed stock to the United States, and gave it to certified seed-growing farmers, who then produced sufficient seed stock for our organic growers. In 1991, we began to produce spelt products in earnest.

The task of making spelt available to American consumers borders on a spiritual experience, and is driven by the enthusiastic response of our many loyal customers. We have found that spelt’s health benefits and great taste turn mild-mannered people into spelt zealots. In this day of overprocessed, nutrient-poor foods, spelt provides people with an energy and vitality they want to share with their friends and relatives.

The Spelt Cookbook is a wonderful resource for everyone who wants to enjoy the unique taste of spelt. Helga’s numerous recipes highlight the versatility of spelt, and show everyone, from the person who is just discovering spelt to the true aficionado, how the many spelt products now available can be used with delicious results. For those who like to make dishes “from scratch,” Helga explains how spelt flour and other spelt products can be used to make delicious breads, delightful homemade pastas, and many other treats. For those with less time to spare, Helga demonstrates how convenience products such as spelt bread mixes, spelt pancake mixes, and dried spelt pastas can be used to quickly create truly spectacular dishes designed to suit every taste and occasion.

As we learn more about human physiology, we begin to understand that simple decisions regarding how we fuel our body can have long-lasting effects on our quality of life. We at Purity Foods urge you to make informed choices and choose spelt—the grain for life.

Wilhelm W. Kosnopfl   
President, Purity Foods

Preface

As a natural foods writer and cooking teacher, I know the importance of using whole foods that are both flavorful and rich in nutrients. Such foods allow you to create satisfying dishes that nourish the body and maximize your health. For this reason, I was delighted when spelt first appeared in health foods stores across the United States. Remembering spelt from my childhood in Bavaria, I looked foward to again enjoying crusty loaves of spelt bread, as well as other spelt-based foods. However, I quickly discovered that most Americans are unfamiliar with spelt, and so may be hesitant to use this new—yet ancient—grain in their recipes. The Spelt Cookbook is designed to guide you in cooking with this wonderful food.

The Spelt Cookbook begins by introducing you to the many different spelt products, including flours, bulgur, ready-to-make pastas, cereals, and bread mixes. You will also learn about natural sweeteners, low- and no-salt seasonings, dairy substitutes, and other ingredients that will help you create truly sensational dishes that are just as high in nutrients as they are in flavor.

Following this basic information, each chapter focuses on a specific meal or type of dish. Chapter 2 presents a wide range of recipes for brunch and breakfast treats, from Old-World Buttermilk Waffles to Muesli Breakfast Bars to Easy Mushroom Soufflé. Looking for a warming soup or a stick-to-your-ribs stew? Chapter 3 provides a tempting selection of soup and stew recipes, from White Bean Chili With Elbows to Minestrone. Still other chapters provide recipes for refreshing salads; hearty breads and muffins; enticing sandwiches; satisfying poultry, fish, and vegetarian entrées; savory homemade pastas, dumplings, and crêpes; and enticing side dishes. Finally, you’ll find a dazzling array of desserts. And every recipe, from the easy-to-make Hazelnut Granola to the spectacular Raspberry Linzer Torte, shares a single ingredient—golden spelt.

It is my hope that this book will show you just how easy it is to add spelt to your diet. With its incomparable taste and its wealth of nutrients, spelt proves, once and for all, that every dish you serve can be both delicious and healthy.

The Story of Spelt

Research indicates that Triticum spelta, or spelt, the earliest known bread wheat, first appeared about 9,000 years ago, some 3,000 years before the grain that led to modern wheat made its appearance. It is thought that spelt’s birthplace was southwest Asia. As civilization spread, emigrants took spelt kernels with them. These travelers carried the kernels complete with their tough coverings, having learned that when planted in their sheaths, the plants better resisted the invasion of underground pests. In this way, spelt spread throughout Europe, until the plains became a shimmering sea of gently swaying stalks, slowly changing with the seasons from green to golden brown.

As the centuries rolled by, spelt grain became known farther and farther afield as it made its way from the farm lands to vessels that plied the Rhine and Danube. In Germany, spelt has always been called dinkel, and towns such as Dinkelsbühl, Dinkelhausen, and Dinkelrode took their names from it. In fact, the town of Dinkelsbühl has a museum devoted entirely to spelt. In the city park, a life-size monument of a farmer holding a sheath of spelt greets the arriving traveler.

For hundreds of years, spelt was the most widely used grain in Europe. However, owing to its lower yield compared with that of newer varieties of wheat, and because of the need to dehull the grain before use, the popularity of spelt diminished during the Industrial Revolution. In fact, spelt has not been grown in Europe in large quantities since the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, today, a limited amount of spelt is cultivated by farmers in Bavaria, where I spent my childhood.

Hiking was a popular pastime in the country of my youth, and some of my fondest memories are of early morning hikes. We would wander from one village to the next, often stopping to warm our hands at the open-air bread ovens used by many farmers. Built of brick and resembling igloos in shape, these ovens were heated by a wood fire which burned in a central hearth. The farmers would extinguish the fire and then use long-handled wooden paddles to place rounds of spelt dough directly on the low brick shelf that surrounded the hearth. I will never forget the sight and aroma of freshly baked golden brown loaves coming out of the oven. Even better was when the farmer used a long-bladed pocket knife to slice pieces of the loaf, and then gave each of us a slice, still warm from the oven. Delicious!

Later, after moving to the United States, I lost touch with the grain. Then, a few years ago, I found spelt on the shelves of health food stores, and again became acquainted with this wonderful grain.

Why is spelt so special? Like most grains, spelt is a rich source of nutrients. But unlike wheat, the most widely used grain in the United States, spelt has an extremely fragile gluten content. This means that spelt is the perfect alternative for people who are allergic to wheat because of its high gluten content. And because the spelt kernel is surrounded by a very strong hull, the nutrients remain well protected until spelt is hulled and milled. In fact, because of the protective hull, pesticides are not needed for the cultivation of the grain.

For centuries, people familiar with spelt have observed the health benefits of this wonderful grain. Perhaps nowhere has spelt been so appreciated as at the Hildegard clinical practice in Constance, Germany. Built on the teachings of St. Hildegard of Bingen, a twelfth-century Benedictine abbess, the clinic follows many of St. Hildegard’s dictums, but in particular her belief that the body must be detoxified before it can be healed; her almost 2,000 remedies and health suggestions; and her strong recommendations for the inclusion of spelt in the diet.

Of course, while we all want to eat a healthful diet, we also want our food to taste good. How does spelt taste? Spelt is a delicious grain, and is highly versatile in its cooking uses. Spelt flour has a deeper, richer color than whole wheat flour and a more pronounced flavor, suggestive of nuts. And spelt can be eaten in many forms. While many fine spelt products are readily available today, I have had greatest success using the products of Purity Foods, Inc., the leading manufacturer of organically grown spelt products in the United States. Appearing under the name Vita-Spelt, these products cook up well and taste delicious. In addition to spelt flour, Purity markets spelt bread mixes, spelt pancake and muffin mix, hulled spelt kernels, toasted spelt flakes, a full range of spelt pastas, and spelt bulgur. These products make it easy to add spelt to your diet in dishes that are sure to please you and your family. In fact, many of the recipes that appear in this book were prize winners in a Purity Foods’ recipe competition!

When cooking with spelt, both in my own kitchen and in the wheatless and meatless cooking classes I teach, I’ve found that spelt products lend themselves to the creation of imaginative recipes. Of course, spelt flour can usually be used as a substitute for wheat flour with excellent results. But spelt’s uses are not limited to baked goods. This cookbook includes recipes for breakfast and brunch, for soups and stews, for salads, pastas, sandwiches, main dishes, and desserts. And all the recipes are made more delicious and healthful by the addition of spelt.

One of the reasons that it’s been so easy to develop recipes for this wonderful grain is that spelt is a “natural” for American cuisine. As a health food writer in the United States, I have long been concerned that health-oriented people in this country lean too heavily on imported foods and foreign cooking styles. While this can certainly provide a welcome change of pace, sometimes the resulting dishes prove difficult to digest for those accustomed to Western foods, and fail to appeal to Western tastes. But, as you’ll see when you begin cooking with spelt, this grain is beautifully compatible with American cuisine. It is a food that is grown in America, and that you can use to make healthy, down-to-earth American meals, as well as a variety of ethnic favorites.

I hope that you love cooking with spelt as much as I do, and that you and your family benefit from the delicious tastes and superior nutrition that spelt provides. Be adventurous, have fun, and enjoy your spelt meals!

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In the Kitchen

If spelt is new to you, you probably have a number of questions about cooking with this wonderful grain. In this c...

About this edition

• Publisher: Avery
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0895296969
• ISBN 13: 9780895296962
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 198