Mattox - Cooking with Seeds: 100 Delicious Recipes for the Foods You Love, Made with Natures Most Nutrient-Dense Ingredients

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Copyright 2015 by Charlyne Mattox

Photographs by Arnold Finkelstein

Illustrations by Anna Beckman

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mattox, Charlyne.

Cooking with seeds: 100 delicious recipes for the foods you love, made with natures most nutrient-dense ingredients / Charlyne Mattox; photographs by Arnold Finkelstein.

pages cm

A Member of the Perseus Books Group.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-7382-1828-1 (e-book) 1. Cooking (Seeds) I. Finkelstein, Arnold. II. Title.

TX814.5.S44M38 2015

641.656dc23

2015016687

First Da Capo Press edition 2015

Published by Da Capo Press

A Member of the Perseus Books Group

www.dacapopress.com

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To my parentsthank you for showing me the world and all the amazing food it has to offer.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

S eeds are the basis for two of the things I enjoy most in life: cooking and gardening. Sow a seed and a plant will grow, producing more seeds. And, in many cases, you can eat not only the plant and the fruit it bears, but also its seeds. Scoop them out from any winter squashthink pumpkin, Hubbard, or acorngive them a good rinse, roast them with spices, oil, and salt, and then toss in a salad or simply gobble them up as a snack. Crush coriander seeds to release their fragrant oils, sprinkle on pork chops with a little salt and pepper, and grill. Scatter coriander seeds in the garden, and a cilantro plant will pop up. Let the plant go to seed, and it will shoot up a pretty flower that looks similar to Queen Annes lace. Harvest the seeds and start the process all over again. Seeds truly are the building blocks of lifeeach perfect seed contains the makings of a new plant.

Although grains (like barley, farro, and quinoa) and beans (such as black beans and lentils) are technically seeds, the focus of this book is on oilseedsspecifically sesame, chia, hemp, flax, poppy, sunflower, and pumpkin. Oilseeds are primarily made up of oil rather than starch. They can be pressed for their rich and flavorful oil or eaten whole or ground.

Why did I start cooking with and eating seeds? As every cook knows, a good dish has a perfect balance of fat, acid, seasoning, and texture. For texture, I have often added nuts. And, while I still find cooking with nuts rewarding (there is certainly no shortage of them in this book!), after having cooked professionally for years and developed hundreds of recipes, I was looking for a new set of flavors to work with, to get excited about, and to make a part of my repertoire. What provides the same benefits? Seeds! Their texture and flavor rival that of nuts, and their health benefits are even more concentrated.

Seeds offer an impressive versatility and range of preparations that make them a perfect fit for any meal of the day. Blend any one of the seven presented here with water to make a delicious cows milk alternative that will perk up coffee and add an additional layer of nutty flavor to granola and oatmeal. Bake pumpkin, hemp, and sesame seeds with nuts and dried fruit in crackers that are perfect for an afternoon snack with a smear of peanut butter or for gracing a cheese board. Mix ground flax into meatballs or combine with pine nuts and herbs for a delicious topping on roasted cod. Use the natural thickening properties of chia to whisk up an eggless Caesar salad dressing.