Boston Flora

Tag: Maria Speck

  • Thursday, September 3, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Simply Ancient Grains

    Maria Speck will be back at Porter Square Books on Thursday, September 3 at 7 pm. Maria Speck makes cooking with ancient grains faster, more intuitive, and easier than ever before in this collection of recipes, most of which are gluten-free.

    From black rice to red quinoa to golden Kamut berries, ancient grains are showing up on restaurant menus and store shelves in abundance. Yet in home kitchens, many fear that whole grains are too difficult and time-consuming to prepare. In Simply Ancient Grains, Maria makes cooking with these fascinating and nourishing staples easy and accessible with sumptuous recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Her family-friendly dishes are Mediterranean-inspired and delicious, such as Spicy Honey and Habanero Shrimp with Cherry Couscous; Farro Salad with Roasted Eggplant, Caramelized Onion, and Pine Nuts; and Red Rice Shakshuka with Feta Cheese. Maria’s tips and simplified approach take whole grain cooking to the next level by amplifying the flavor and enduring beauty of these nutritious grains.

    Maria Speck is a food journalist and the author of the award-winning cookbook Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. She is currently an instructor in the professional program of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, and has contributed to Gourmet, Saveur, Gastronomica, the Vegetarian Times, and Cooking Pleasures. Free. For more information visit www.portersquarebooks.com.

  • Tuesday, June 23, 7:00 pm – Simply Ancient Grains

    “Maria Speck brings a wealth of surprise to grains with her vivid sense of color, and her attention to texture and, of course, to taste. All of these elements come into view in an utterly fresh way. What an innovative book!” – Deborah Madison, author of Vegetable Literacy and The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

    Maria Speck makes cooking with ancient grains faster, more intuitive, and easier than ever before in this collection of recipes, most of which are gluten-free.

    From black rice to red quinoa to golden Kamut berries, ancient grains are showing up on restaurant menus and store shelves in abundance. Yet in home kitchens, many fear that whole grains are too difficult and time-consuming to prepare. In Simply Ancient Grains, Maria makes cooking with these fascinating and nourishing staples easy and accessible with sumptuous recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Her family-friendly dishes are Mediterranean-inspired and delicious, such as Spicy Honey and Habanero Shrimp with Cherry Couscous; Farro Salad with Roasted Eggplant, Caramelized Onion, and Pine Nuts; and Red Rice Shakshuka with Feta Cheese. Maria’s tips and simplified approach take whole grain cooking to the next level by amplifying the flavor and enduring beauty of these nutritious grains.

    Maria Speck is a food journalist and the author of the award-winning cookbook Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. She is currently an instructor in the professional program of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, and has contributed to Gourmet, Saveur, Gastronomica, the Vegetarian Times, and Cooking Pleasures. She will speak at Porter Square Books, 25 White Street in Cambridge, on Tuesday, June 23 beginning at 7 pm. Totally optional reservations for this book signing and talk may be executed at http://www.portersquarebooks.com/event/maria-speck-simply-ancient-grains.

  • Friday, September 21, 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm – Ancient Grains for Modern Meals – A Book Discussion

    Veteran journalist and food writer Maria Speck is the author of Ancient Grains for Modern Meals (Ten Speed Press), her first cookbook. It recently received the coveted Julia Child Award and award in the Health and Special Diet category from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). Maria’s book previously also won a Gourmand Award as the US selection, Mediterranean category. The cookbook contains 100 Mediterranean-inspired whole grain recipes-from amaranth to wheat berries. Both the New York Times and the Washington Post selected Ancient Grains as one of the top cookbooks for 2011, and Cooking Light magazine named it one of the 100 best cookbooks of the past 25 years. Raised in Greece and Germany, Maria has a lifelong passion for the flavors and textures of whole grains. She has contributed to Gourmet, Saveur and Gastronomica.

    This Massachusetts Horticultural Society discussion will be held Friday, September 21, from 4:30 – 5:30 at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, as part of the Garden to Table Program.  Mass Hort members pay $12, non-members $15. Reservations may be made by calling 617-933-4995.

  • Saturday, July 9, 2:00 pm, and Tuesday, July 19, 7:00 pm- Ancient Grains for Modern Meals

    Williams-Sonoma Copley, at 100 Huntington Place in Boston, will host a special book signing and cooking demonstration with Maria Speck this coming Saturday, July 9, beginning at 2 pm.  Maria will be signing copies of her cookbook Ancient Grains for Modern Meals.  This is a unique opportunity to meet a leading chef and author.  No reservations required, and the event is free.  Maria will also appear at Porter Square Books, 25 White Street, Cambridge, on Tuesday, July 19 at 7. Food writer Maria Speck’s passion for propelling Old World staples such as farro, barley, polenta, and wheat berries to the forefront of new American cooking is beautifully presented in Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. In this inspired and highly personal book, Speck draws on food traditions from across the Mediterranean and northern Europe to reveal how versatile, satisfying, flavorful, and sophisticated whole grains can be.

    Speck grew up in Greece and Germany before moving to the US as a young adult. She is a writer and journalist, and has contributed to Gourmet, Saveur, and Gastronomica, as well as Marie Claire and Elle. Her popular cooking classes in Cambridge focus on the flavors and cooking styles of the Mediterranean.


  • Wednesday, April 27, 5:30 pm – Ancient Grains for Modern Meals

    Food writer Maria Speck’s passion for propelling Old World staples such as farro, barley, polenta, and wheat berries to the forefront of new American cooking is beautifully presented in Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. In her inspired and highly personal book, Maria Speck draws on food traditions from across the Mediterranean and northern Europe to reveal how versatile, satisfying, flavorful, and sophisticated whole grains can be. Her lecture, to be held Wednesday, April 27 beginning at 5:30 pm in Emerson 210 at Harvard University, is free and open to the public. For directions, log on to www.harvard.edu.