The herbed sauce in this grain dish gets a double hit of punchy dairy: Not as sharp as other acidic ingredients, buttermilk lends a unique tang and yogurt brings body and richness.
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
1
1
3
2
1½
1
1
½
½
Preparation
Step 1
Toast grains in a dry medium heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just slightly darkened and beginning to smell nutty, about 4 minutes. Pour in 4 cups water, then add onion, garlic, lemon zest, and a couple of big pinches of salt; stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally and skimming any foam from surface as needed, until grains are tender (pull out a few grains and take a bite to test), 35–45 minutes; pluck out and discard onion, garlic, and lemon zest.
Step 2
Meanwhile, purée parsley, dill, buttermilk, and a big pinch of salt in a blender until bright green and smooth. Pour into a medium bowl, add yogurt, and whisk until your arm gets a bit tired—3 minutes should do the trick (whisking the mixture well will ensure that the yogurt doesn’t split and get grainy when you add it to the grains).
Step 3
Pour buttermilk mixture over grains. Increase heat to medium and bring to a bare simmer. Cook just until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and squeeze in juice from lemon half. Stir well, then taste grains and season with more salt if needed. Skim any foam from surface.
Step 4
Ladle grains into bowls. Drizzle some oil into each bowl and top with coarsely ground pepper.
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Reviews (9)
Back to TopThis recipe sounds amazing, but I am hoping someone can clarify something for me. The recipe does not say to drain the grains, but seems to imply to not use any liquid from cooking the grains, just to mix the grains with the herbs and buttermilk. If I only use the buttermilk mixture, that does not seem to be enough liquid for 4 servings.
Anonymous
9/27/2020
I loved this recipe, but I love most everything Andy does. I did veganize it, making my own buttermilk with oat milk and lemon juice, plus I used kite hill brand Greek yogurt. Not sure if this is why, but I did not have any of the trouble with the herb milk separating at the end. Also, maybe this is just me, but in case you interpret his instructions the same way I did: if you want yours to look like the picture. I would not combine milk and grains in the sauce pan. Instead, ladle milk into bowls and then spoon the grains in. Otherwise I got green grains.
Anonymous
Virginia
4/21/2020
Taste was great, but my sauce broke in last "bare simmer" step.
Anonymous
San Francisco
3/11/2020
We really enjoyed this recipe, and the preparation was relatively easy and painless. Similar to another commenter, our sauce split when we added the lemon juice... We blamed keeping it on the heat too long, but in hindsight, it very well might have been the lemon juice. Ours wasn't as bright and cheery as the picture, but we still ate it all and definitely enjoyed it! This is a soup that needs a side dish... We went with hummus and pita chips and enjoyed it.
Anonymous
Danbury, CT
3/9/2020
This recipe was ok. I liked the bright flavour and colour but it needed something more. I added green peas, chickpeas and a fried egg on top to make it a meal and also because I am a millennial. I'm thinking of trying it again but with different greens, like cilantro + spinach.
Anonymous
Vancouver, BC
3/6/2020
This was so good!
Anonymous
Park City Utah
3/4/2020
It’s cute and green, I like it a lot :)
Anonymous
Dublin
3/2/2020