Pasta

Pasta is a great way to help fulfill your grain requirement. Why pasta?

• It is a starch that almost everyone can eat in some form - even those with wheat intolerance can usually eat rice or soy pastas.
  
• Pasta has a shelf life of 7-10 years.
  
• It is easy to cook.
• There are lots of things one can do with pasta. Variety is paramount when it comes to living off your food storage. You'll go crazy eating the same thing day in and day out.
  
• It is quick--15 minutes to a complete meal.
  

Pasta ranges in price from about 10 to 40 cents/ounce (about $1.50-3.00 for 1 lb box). You can occasionally find it on sale for $1.00/box--a great time to stock up. You can also buy it in bulk from Costco or Sam's Club ($7.89 for 4 lbs.) There are tons of different brands. My favorite is Barilla. It is reasonably priced and often goes on sale. It is a good quality authentic pasta (according to Ryan, who served his mission in Italy).

A great way to make pasta more "user-friendly" is to make sauce in big batches and then freeze it. It takes a decent chunk of time (5-6 hours) but when you're done you have easy to make meals. Here's the recipe I use. I double, or triple it. If I'm going to triple it I usually make it in 2 pots so the acid can cook off easier.

Bolognese Sauce

6 quarts water
1 Tablespoon salt
3 Tablespoons pure olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup dry white wine
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
6 oz. tomato sauce
ground nutmeg
salt
red peper flakes

1. In a large, heavy frying pan over medium-low heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and saute', stirring frequently, until it is translucent, about 8 minutes.

2. Add the celery and carrots and saute' stirring frequently for 10 minutes.

3. Add ground beef, breaking it up with a fork. Saute' stirring frequently, until the beef just loses it's pink color.

4. Stir in the milk and simmer until it has evaporated, about 8 minutes

5. Add the wine and simmer until it has evaporated, about 8 minutes longer.

6. Add the tomatoes, the tomato sauce and spices to taste. Increase the heat to medium, stirring, bring the sauce to a simmer then reduce the heat to very low. Simmer, stirring occasionally for at least 3 hours, preferably 4-6.

Wheat, part 4

"Beginning Recipes"

– these are some that you can slip a bit of wheat flour in, and increase the proportion of wheat flour each time you make it. The idea is to adjust to the whole grain a bit at a time. (None of these recipes are meant to be 100% wheat flour.)

Breakfast Bars
3 c quick oats
1 1/3 c flour*
1 t salt
½ c brown sugar
1. Combine, then cut in: 1 c butter
2. Spread ½ to 2/3 of mixture in bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.
3. Cover with a sauce made of: 2 – 3 cups applesauce or other drained, blended fruit or jellied cranberry sauce (a very good sauce is made from drained, blended apricots thickened with a couple tablespoons of peanut butter)
4. Cover the sauce with the remaining oat mixture.
5. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350º.
6. Cut into squares when cooled.

*Start by using ¼ c of the flour being whole wheat. Increase the amount up to 1 cup of the flour being wheat, or to the amount that your family likes the flavor of.

Spicy Apple Muffins
2 c flour*
¼ c sugar
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
½ t soda
½ t cinnamon
¼ t nutmeg
1 c plain yogurt
½ c milk
1/3 c canola oil
½ c chopped apple
Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until moistened. Bake 400º for 20-25 minutes. Makes 16-18 medium muffins.
~Optional topping before baking:
2 T brown sugar, 2 T melted butter, 1 T flour, ¼ t cinnamon mixed together and sprinkled on top of muffins.
~Pancake variation:
Increase amount of milk until it is a thinner batter for pancakes. (I also omit the sugar)

Sky-High Biscuits
2 c unbleached flour
1 c whole wheat flour
4 ½ t baking powder
2 T sugar
½ t salt
¾ t cream of tartar
¾ c butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c milk.
Combine dry ingredients. Cut in softened butter. Add milk and egg Knead lightly. Roll 1-inch thick. Cut into biscuits. Place in 9-inch greased square pan. Bake 450 for 12-15 minutes

I’ll add some “seriously wheat” recipes soon -- or more "getting a family started on wheat" recipes if you'd rather.