Grain substitute for rice

Tomorrow I want to cook an old family recipe. Pork chops, bone-in are cooked in oven surrounded by rice, which is topped with tomato sauce, and red wine. Cook time is 350 for 1 1/2 hours. Chops are topped with thick slices of bell peppers and onions. I'd like to substitute another grain, as I already had rice this week. Any suggestions of a grain that will work for this or even something like Orzo?

[Robin Garr]

Karen, I like bulghur wheat a lot. Different size and texture than rice grains, but we really like its flavor, and it sops up juices just as well as rice does.

I would also suggest bulghur, or possibly barley. Orzo might get too soft.

Barley would work well.
Freekah maybe, or even possibly wheat berries but it is so long since I’ve cooked them I can’t remember anything much

I often substitute bulghur for rice and keep a variety of sizes in the pantry. I use the smaller grains for stuffing vegetables but I would especially use the largest in your application which is labeled #4 in my Middle Eastern grocery. It looks almost like whole wheat berries. A soft wheat berry would also work being cooked that long but i would check periodically to make sure enough liquid remains to finish the bake.

I am out of the buglher, but have an overload of Farro....read it can be used as a substitute for rice. Not sure about the red wine with it but I could substitute a white...thoughts? Thanks for all of your quick responses.

My choice would be white but either would probably work. Regarding the farro, cooking time depends on if it is pearled /semi pearled or not. The whole grain actually cooks faster than the pearled but I've never cooked it in the oven so timing and liquid ratio are an unknown to me. Ordinarily when I cook bulghur or farro or freekeh on the stovetop I use 1/2 - 3/4 amount of liquid [ usually stock ] because I like it toothsome. I also find that it takes less time than box indicates so if using the full amount of water it is sitting in a puddle of water when it's done.

So here is what I ended up doing...went with the Farro that I purchased from a grain mill near me, placed it around the chops which were salt and peppered, and poultry seasoning added. In the fridge I had an opened jar of Michaels of Brooklyn Fresh Tomato & Basil Sauce. Son brought Chloe 2019 Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand two days ago. I really like it, so I added to taste into the red sauce, added a little Turkish Oregano, and it tastes great. Prior to putting in oven I will pour it over the Farro, and need to watch it carefully, as l I do not know if my ratio is anywhere near what it should be. Usually, I do ok with my tweaks. I did come across Southern Living recipe for baked pork chops and Farro, so went from there. Will report back. I have to keep remembering my cooking is in the "use it up mode" instead of, "hubby will eat the leftovers". After 58 years, it is a hard lesson. Thanks again for the suggestions.

[Robin Garr]

I hope it goes well and turns out to be comfort food, Karen! Do let us know.

I know it's post-facto but yes, farro is basically barley so go for it. (We love farro here.)

Wha Hoo! Old family recipe gets a new makeover and it is delicious. The farro maintained its structure and nutty taste, soaked up just the right amount of red sauce and wine. I loved the Chloe Sauvignon Blanc and it is a nice change from the red called for in the recipe. Recipe is in a very old and tattered 29 page booklet purchased during one of our many trips to the Napa, CA area. It is called The Wine Cookbook, put out by Wine Advisory Board in San Francisco to educate us on the pleasures of CA wines, and others, but especially cooking with wine. Many of the recipes I did not try but this pork chop one was a winner.

Just for fun, here is a recipe from the book called Black Bean Soup.
To 1 can of condensed black bean soup, add 1 cup water to heat to boiling; add 1/3 cup California Sherry wine. Pour into heated soup bowls or cups and float a slice of hard-cooked egg and a slice of lemon on each serving. Serves 3 or 4. There you go, a culinary miracle!