Grains, Rice and Beans [Paperback]

Kevin Graham (Author), Ellen Silverman (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 1998

It's comfort food, it's high-energy food, and it's cheap food, enthuses Kevin Graham about beans, lentils, peas, whole grains, rice, and pasta. In Grains, Rice, and Beans, award-winning chef Graham transforms these humble staples into one hundred creative, flavorful, and stylish recipes for main courses, side dishes, appetizers, even desserts.

In their collection of naturally low-fat recipes for vegetarians and meat lovers alike, grains both familiar and unexpected star in dishes that range from comforting classic to creative contemporary.

Here are unexpected recipes for familiar grains and for less familiar ones—Kasha with Shrimp, Lemon, and Rosemary, and Amaranth Pear Pie. Beans, simple and sophistocated, shine in Spinach and Black Beans Quesadilla and Scarlet Runner Beans with Crawfish and Ginger. Saffron Pilaf with Shredded Lamb and Basil and Soba Noodles with Citrus and Smoked Fish demonstrate Graham's passion for rice and noodles.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is the way a cookbook should be: one recipe per page, simple instructions, a good mixture of adventurous and familiar ingredients, fantastic photographs, and great, healthy, low-fat results. The Chilled Pea Soup has only a tablespoon of olive oil, but yogurt gives it a wonderful richness. Tabbouleh with Blueberries and Mint is like salad from heaven. Many of the recipes are vegetarian, but there's also Grilled Chicken with Quinoa and Sautéed Fennel, Baby Lima Beans with Shrimp and Crawfish, Dilled Salmon with Chick Peas and Scallions, and much, much more. Graham, a renowned New Orleans chef, is also the author of Creole Flavors. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Lowly grains and beans have never looked so good as in this beautifully photographed collection of recipes from a well-known New Orleans chef. Graham, author of Simply Elegant: The Cuisine of Windsor Court Hotel (Grove Weidenfeld, 1991) and Kevin Graham's Fish & Seafood Cookbook (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, dist. by Publishers Resources, Inc., 1993), offers both sophisticated restaurant-style dishes like Fresh Baby Fava Beans with Shrimp and Sherry and comfort food like Cock-a-Leekie and Bran Muffins (of course, his version of five-bean salad is dressed with truffle oil). Unlike most grain and bean cookbooks, this one includes some recipes for fresh beans, peas, etc., not just the dried versions. A good complement to the many more homey titles on the subject.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Artisan (January 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579651275
• ISBN-13: 978-1579651275
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,442,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Pyramid Goes Gourmet, February 15, 2001

By 

C. Ebeling "ctlpareader" (PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grains, Rice and Beans (Paperback)

This book's selling point for me is its emphasis on whole foods. It is great for anyone who is trying to de-emphasize meat in their diets and build up the grains, fruits and vegetables. The recipes are fairly easy to follow--a beginner might be left guessing how big a "medium" zucchini really is, but technique is explained well. The ingredient list is within reach of most supermarkets. The recipes themselves are original and come out looking like the pictures. Many are naturally low-fat and those that are not use the healthiest fats when called for. Butter is scarcely used and I don't think cream is mentioned anywhere. I enjoy reading and cooking from this. My only criticism is negligible: for far-sighted people, even those assisted with monovision contacts or bifocals, the type in which ingredient quantities are set, particularly the fractions, is difficult to read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful cooking from a master, July 9, 2008

By 

Robert D. Peyton "R Peyton" (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grains, Rice and Beans (Paperback)

Kevin Graham was the executive chef at the Windsor Court hotel at the time this book was written, and the chef at Sapphire when it was published. Under his stewardship, both were among of the best restaurants in New Orleans. His menus were ambitious, forward thinking, and sophisticated. His thoughtful approach to humble ingredients such as beans and whole grains makes this relatively short cookbook a classic.

Since the book was published, some ingredients which at the time were difficult to obtain are now more common; think quinoa, for example. There are a few recipes that would be difficult for a novice cook to pull off, but for the most part Graham combines flavors and techniques in very interesting - and useful - ways.

This is one of perhaps 10 cookbooks that I'll bring with me the next time I have to evacuate New Orleans. Partly because it's somewhat rare, but mainly because I enjoy it so much, and consistently find something interesting and diverting inside.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for Me, January 29, 2011

By 

Creative Magic (CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grains, Rice and Beans (Paperback)

This book is just not for me. The reason I bought it was to get some ideas on how to cook beans. But I find the recipes bland and uninspiring, based on the ingredients listed. I just find the author's palate hard to relate to. The flavor profile sounds VERY bland and middle American in a bad way, what one would think of really bad American food. The recipes seem healthful enough, but I need my food to taste good AND be healthy. Seriously, check out the pictures/ingredients before you buy it. Usually, when I buy cookbooks, I really connect to the pictures, presentation, and author's palate, but there is very little to connect me to this book. Unfortunately, a preview was not available at the time I purchased it.