Early Riser Polenta, For Us Humans

Very scary things have been said about polenta.  It is pasty.  It needs to be fussed over or it is all lumps and bumps. It burns if you so much as glance at it wrong.     

But here is the secret.  It has to be stirred.  And this cannot be hurried.  That is it.

It knows what it needs.  And what it needs is an hour to be ready.  So do not rush it.  Making polenta is mediation by way of cornmeal. 

I felt this needed to be discussed for a few reasons. 

One.  Because I had an early dinner with my brother a few weeks ago and the man revealed he has yet to latch on to the right polenta recipe.  Since he owns my great grandmother’s hand crank cavatelli maker, and actually uses it, I can assure you his polenta void is not for lack of wont.

Two.  Because at said dinner at a trendy-new-restaurant-which shall-remain-nameless, we had a side of farro that was barely passable.  Sad and pale and bored.  Like a New Englander trudging through March. And this should simply not be the case for Italian grains that require so little to taste delicious.

Three.  Because I recently visited Misty Brook Farm and have fallen for their Early Riser cornmeal, which they also feed to their pigs and chickens.  And I hope this balances out some of the implied elitism when I say it is organic, meaning it is a non-GMO rarity and is from a local farm. 

Any food that is fed to both farm animals and humans can't be too highbrow.  In fact, I hope we can come to live in a world where people say, “If it’s good enough for the pigs, it’s good enough for me.” 

During my research, I also stumbled across this quote from an online garden supply store about using Early Riser: “Chickens will produce eggs with deep golden yolks, cows love it, and it makes a high quality cornmeal for us humans as well.”  Now, cows are not technically built to eat corn.  But that aside, it is ground so fine and delicate that it makes the creamiest polenta known to man.

But you still have to stir it. 

So do your dishes while it gently bubbles on the stove.  You see, the key is stirring, and patience.  This makes a high quality polenta for us humans, as well.

Early Riser Polenta

Ingredients:

• 5 cups water
•  ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional, to taste
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• Black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

In a 2-quart saucepan, bring the water to a simmer.  Add the salt and then slowly whisk in the cornmeal.  Continue to whisk until any lumps dissolve.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the cornmeal for about an hour, stirring regularly to prevent any lumps from forming.  The cornmeal will bubble occasionally. If it starts to sputter and splatter, turn down the heat.

The polenta is done when it is creamy and has reduced roughly by half.  (It should not taste floury or raw, if it does, cook it longer.)  Stir in the butter, cheese, and crushed red pepper.  T

Taste and adjust for seasoning.  Serve hot.

Makes about 3 cups

Notes:

1. I have made the recipe with standard yellow polenta (typically medium or coarse ground cornmeal), as well. (You can find Early Riser at Misty Brook Farm.)
2. If your polenta is looking too dry, add in a drizzle of water.

Save Swine, Eat a TLT (Tofu Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich)

Save a pig.  Eat a soybean.  The slogan still needs work.  Luckily, the tofu does not.

This idea is inspired by the site 101 Cookbooks.  The original recipe was for a “TLT,” a take on the beloved classic BLT.  It featured tempeh though, which try as I might, I just cannot endorse. Tempeh and I are not friendly.  So I have been making the sandwich with tofu ever since.

The thin strips soak in a marinade that is meant to recall an essence of bacon.  If you really want a BLT, you had better use swine.  But the liquid, which is smoky and a little spicy from the chipotle, sweet from the maple, and salty from the tamari, can easily hold its own.

If you welcome the TLT as a singular entity, it makes a wonderful vegetarian-friendly counterpoint, employing the usual sidekicks: lettuce, tomato, and mayo.  The sandwich itself is not far off from the soy BLT MIT-based Clover Food Lab sells.  Their mantra being, local fast food done a la vegetarian.

So, perhaps, save a BLT.  Eat a TLT.  It is not meant as a substitute for the adored piggy classic.  But it makes a t.asty l.ittle t.ofu sandwich all its own.

TLT Tofu

Inspired by 101 Cookbooks

Ingredients:

• 1½ tbsp olive oil (plus more for the pan)
• ¼ cup tamari (soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
• 4 to 5 tbsp adobo sauce (from canned chipotle peppers)
• about 14 ounces firm or extra firm tofu (1 block)

Instructions:

In a rectangular baking dish, mix together the oil, tamari, vinegar, brown sugar (or maple) and adobo sauce.  (Use less adobo if you don't like spice.)

Slice the tofu into 4 or 5 rectangular slabs and then slice each slab into 3 pieces lengthwise, so you get long strips. 

Lay the strips into the baking dish with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap, and let marinate in the fridge, ideally overnight.

Heat a medium sauté pan on medium to medium-high heat and add a glug of oil to the pan.  Add half the tofu (or all of it, depending on the size of your pan) and half the marinade to the hot pan. 

Cook the tofu for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the tofu starts to gather color on its underside. 

Flip the tofu and cook until fairly firm to the touch (about 10 minutes in total).  If the tofu starts to burn, turn the heat down.  Wipe down the pan and repeat the process, if cooking in two batches.

Makes 12 to 15 strips

Notes:

1. I don’t need to tell you, you know how to make a BLT.  Use your favorite bread with tomatoes, lettuce, and mayo.  Sometimes I put a little lemon zest in the mayo. I like the TLT either on a brioche bun or in a pita.
2. 21st Century Tofu and Chang Shing Tofu are two local brands.
3. The sauce has a tendency to burn on you, so be sure to watch it and turn down the heat (or add a little more sauce to the pan) if needed.
4. I like tamari, which is typically made solely from soybeans, so that is the sauce I stock.

Baked Herb and Pistachio Falafel, Willingly

I am not currently wearing raw linen.  Or hemp underwear.  I have not started making my own soap. Nor do I have plans to unite a ragtag gang of loners to start a banjo band.  This much I can assure you.  

But things have definitely gone a bit granola in my apartment. I have been hooked on homemade pita.  I have no fewer than five jars of assorted nut and seed butters in the side compartment of my fridge. And a steay supply of bulk grains and dried beans has crept quietly in along with some Dr. Bronner’s magic soap.

I have all but made friends with Pancho and Lefty after one too many nights listening to Willie Nelson.  

So when I found this recipe, I figured it was time to pack up and move straight to the chickpea commune.  It is a fairly easy recipe.  It just requires some pistachios and fresh herb, along with the obligatory beans and basic kitchen equipment.  

It gently suggests you be laid back when you make them.  And that is about it.  Which is what you might expect from a baked falafel.

Since these guys are not fried, they have a tendency to crumble once you bite into them.  But I would not consider this a weakness.  Especially if you have them properly sandwiched and sauced in a pita.  They are baked after all, man.   They are also downright delicious. 

I will spare you the adjectives.  Just know that these guys are easy to love.  And easy to hold.  Unlike cowboys.  And perhaps people that live on communes.

Baked Herb and Pistachio Falafel with Tahini Dressing

Adapted from Green Kitchen Stories

Ingredients:

for the falafel

• 8 sprigs fresh mint
• 8 sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley
• ½ cup pistachios
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 clove garlic 
• 1 to 2 tbsp minced onion 
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 5 cardamom seeds, ground (shells discarded)
• 1 tbsp flour 
• pinch cumin 
• pinch red pepper flakes 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• dash of orange blossom water (optional)

for the tahini dressing

• 2 tbsp tahini 
• 1 tbsp cashew butter 
• juice of ½ a lemon 
• 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil 
• pinch of red pepper flakes 
• pinch of cumin 
• pinch of coriander 
• salt to taste

Instructions:

Set the oven to 395 degrees.

Remove the herbs from their stems, then blend the leaves in a food processor (or blender). Add the pistachio and pulse until well combined. Add the chickpeas and remaining ingredients and process until combined. 

Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. (Be careful with the salt as there is sodium in the baking soda.) If the mixture does not easily clump together and hold its shape, add a bit more olive oil.

Scoop out about 1 heaping tablespoon of the mixture and gently roll it into a ball, cupping it and packing it with your hands to firm it up a bit.  Place each ball on a baking sheet greased with a little olive oil.  

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until they start to turn brown.  (You may want to turn them occasionally to allow them to get color on all sides.)

While the falafel are baking, combine all the tahini dressing ingredients together in a food processor (or blender). Thin the dressing with a little water and adjust the seasoning as needed.  

Serve the falafel and dressing in a pita.  I like them with lettuce, tomato, onion and plain cumin-flavored Greek yogurt.

Makes about 15 falafel and about ½ cup dressing

Notes:

1. I used dried chickpeas that I cook and keep on hand in my freezer until they are called into falafel duty.  If you are using canned chickpeas, you may want to rinse them first.