Grist: A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Beans, Seeds, and Legumes

Abra Berens

Oct 2021 · Chronicle Books

About this ebook

As featured in Epicurious, Modern Farmer, Refinery29, Shape, Plated, Eater, Food52, Midwest Living, Bon Appetit, MindBodyGreen, The Infatuation, Associated Press, On the Menu and NPR's The Splendid Table.

Make grains the easiest, healthiest, and most exciting stars on your table.

Grist is the only grain and legume cookbook you need. Abra Berens, a James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Chef: Great Lakes and the author of Ruffage, shares more than 300 recipes and variations, plus substantial reference information to help you discover the next great grain.

Grist includes more than 125 recipes for 29 different types of grains, legumes, and seeds that, in combination with vegetables and lean proteins, are the stars of the healthiest, most variable, and most satisfying meals—many of them gluten free.

New and seasoned home cooks will want to reference this guide to start building a repertoire of approachable, big-on-flavor recipes. Home cooks will be attracted to the reference quality of the book, its beauty (more than 100 photos and 30 illustrations) and heft (125 recipes + 300 variations = 448 pages), as well as the great writing, relatable voice, author authority, unique recipe style, extensive variations, and gorgeous photography and illustrations.

THIS IS THE A TO Z OF GRAINS, BEANS, AND LEGUMES: The content is deep and authoritative, but also wide-ranging, with information and recipes for 29 different grains, legumes, and seeds: Amaranth, Barley, Black-Eyed Peas, Buckwheat, Bulgur, Chickpeas, Common Beans, Corn, Cowpeas, Crowder Peas, Farro, Fava Beans, Field Peas, Fonio, Freekeh, Legumes, Lentils, Lima Beans, Millet, Oats, Quinoa, Rice, Sorghum, Split Peas, Soy Beans, Teff, Tiny Seed Grains, and Wheat Berries.

REFERENCE BOOK: Organized by type of grain/legume/seed, each chapter offers authoritative info and tips that home cooks can use to deepen their knowledge of ingredients and broaden their repertoire of techniques. The recipes are simple, are generally quick to prepare, and use ingredients that are easy to find or often already in people's pantries.

FOLLOW UP ON SUCCESS: Ruffage by Abra Berens was named a Best Cookbook for Spring 2019 by the New York Times and Bon Appétit, was a 2019 Michigan Notable Book winner, and was nominated for a 2019 James Beard Award. Here's some strong praise for Ruffage:

"Things in my kitchen have changed since Ruffage arrived. This organized, easygoing guide to 29 vegetables offers a few cooking methods for each one, supplemented by several variations.” —Kim Severson, New York Times

"[RUFFAGE] is a total classic in the making."—Christina Chaey, associate editor, Bon Appétit

"Crammed with exciting ideas that encourage creativity, this lively book will quickly become an essential item in the home cook's library."—Library Journal (starred review)

Ratings and reviews

Grist by Abra Berens A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Beans, Seeds, and Legumes Fascinating book both informative and practical that is filled with delicious recipes, multiple variations, and ideas that were interesting and inspiring. This is a book I would gladly have on hand in my kitchen! What I liked: * Easy to read and understand * Concise easy to follow recipes * Multiple variations on basic recipes * Seasonal variations for some recipes * Vegetable cheat sheet with information on selecting and storing with notes about each one * Glossary of terms (and learning a few new ones) * Cooking and cutting techniques explained – though not necessarily new to me * The wide variety of flavors used * The 1+2+3+more basic ideas to create dishes of your own * Basic information about each legume and grain * Interviews with farmers * A week without boredom providing five ideas to use one bean or grain cooked in quantity * The condiment recipes including herb mixes * Plating ideas * The recipe for oat and rice milks * Wishing I had this cookbook already What I didn’t lik: * I can’t really think of anything really except not being able to choose ONE recipe to try first Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle books for the ARC – This is my honest review. 5 Stars

About the author

Abra Berens is a Michigan chef, author, and former farmer. Through every recipe written and meal served, she aims to tighten the connection between eaters and growers. She believes we can invest in a stronger, more equitable food system for everyone, from producers to grocers to consumers. Her cookbook Ruffage: A Practice Guide to Vegetables was a 2019 Michigan Notable Book winner and James Beard Award nominee. Her dinners at Granor Farm in Three Oaks, Michigan, made her a James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Chef: Great Lakes.

EE Berger is a Detroit-based photographer focused on food, lifestyle, product, and portrait work.

Lucy Engelman is an illustrator who puts pen to paper in Pittsburgh, PA.