I love polenta, and so do my kids.  It’s a quick and easy dish that lends itself to different variations for any meal of the day – I make it for breakfast or sometimes lunch. If you buy it in the ready made rolls in the store, it’s expensive, especially since it’s considered a specialty Italian food, but it’s cheap and simple to make on your own. 

• 1 c. coarse cornmeal (the texture is important, otherwise you’ll end up with cornmeal mush – you can get it in the bulk section of health food stores or in regular grocery stores in the Spanish food section – I buy the 2 lb package from Goya)
• 1 c. cold water
• 1 t. salt
• 3 c. hot water

 Combine the cornmeal and cold water in a bowl – this is to keep it from clumping up in the next step (though my kids were disappointed when I learned this and there weren’t any clumps in the polenta – “but we liked the lumps!”).  In a pot, combine the salt and hot water, and bring to a boil.  Stir in the cornmeal mix and bring to a boil. Continue stirring; after it boils, reduce heat to low.  Simmer ten minutes, then serve. 

I add butter to this after it’s done – not while it’s cooking, because the boiling cornmeal bubbles furiously (I once heard it described as ‘volcanically’ :)) and if there was oil in it, it would be a painful burn if any ended up splattering your hand.  I also like to do things the fastest way possible, so I boil the salt and water, and cook the cornmeal at a high temperature until it’s finished, stirring all the time.  Oh, the best spoon to use when stirring this would be a long handled wooden spoon.  I don’t lower the heat or simmer it at all. 

The way I serve this for breakfast is in bowls, with some butter, and sometimes shredded cheese.  I used to sometimes have grits for breakfast as a kid which was similar to this; I loved it then, and I still like it!  You can also put it in a pan to cool.  It will congeal into the shape of the pan.  This is how the ready made polenta is sold, in congealed round rolls (the shape of sausage).  Once it’s cold, you slice it, and can fry it, bake it with toppings, roast it – there are lots of options.  You can use it as a base for a lot of things, like a tomato sauce with cheese or browned ground meat or roasted veggies on top.  I once was out of lasagna noodles, so I made poured a thin layer of hot polenta into two pans, and let them cool.  Then I used each layer in place of noodles.  It didn’t taste like typical lasagna, but it was tasty and showed me how flexible and creative you can be with polenta. 

I have yet to successfully adapt this to the traditional foods approach I usually use when cooking – cornmeal should really be soaked ahead of time with lime (necessary to release the niconitinamide – vitamin B3, which otherwise stays bound up with the corn), similar to how grains like oats should be soaked in an acidic medium like whey.  If I have time before I go to bed tonight I’ll try it and see how it works tomorrow – the lime will definitely affect the flavor, so I’ll have to see how the kids like it.  I haven’t made doing this a priority since we don’t have a corn based diet, so avoiding pellagra (disease of vitamin B3 deficiency) hasn’t been a major concern. 

The recipe above makes about four cups of polenta; we usually triple or quadruple it for a meal. 

Avivah

I was planning to post this in the next few days, but since at least four of you have asked me about this in the last day or two, I’m posting it sooner. 

This recipe is from Home Cheese Making, by Ricki Carrol, the book I already mentioned that we’re using to guide us in our cheesemaking adventures!  It’s called 30 Minute Mozzarella, pg. 134.

• 1 1/2 level teaspoon citric acid dissolved in water
• 1 gallon whole milk (not ultra pasteurized or you’ll end up with ricotta instead of mozzarella)
• 1/8 – 1/4 t. lipase powder (I didn’t use this), dissolved in 1/4 c. cool water and allowed to sit for twenty minutes)
• 1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet, diluted in 1/4 c. cool unchlorinated water (if you leave tap water uncovered overnight, the chlorine will evaporate)
• 1 teaspoon cheese salt (optional)

While stirring add citric acid to milk at 55 degrees and mix thoroughly.  (Add lipase now if using it.)

Heat milk to 88 degrees F over medium/low heat.  Milk will start to curdle.

Gently stir in diluted rennet with up and down motion, while heating milk to between 100 – 105 degrees.  Turn off heat; curds should be pulling away from sides of pot; they are ready to scoop out.

Curds will look like thick yogurt and have a bit of shine to them; whey will be clear.  If whey is milky white, wait a few more minutes.

Scoop out curds with slotted spoon and put into 2 quart bowl.  Press curds gently with hands, pouring off as much whey as possible.  Save whey.

Heat reserved whey to 175 degrees.  Add 1/4 cup of cheese salt to whey.  Shape curd into one or more balls, put them in ladle or strainer, and dip into hot whey for several seconds.  Knead curd with spoons between each dip and repeat process several times until curd is smooth and pliable.  Use heavy rubber gloves when kneading.

Knead quickly until it is smooth and elastic.  When cheese stretches like taffy, it’s done.  If curds break instead of stretch, they are too cool and need to be reheated.

When cheese is smooth and shiny, roll it into small balls and eat while warm.  (My daughter rolled them into ropes and made a three stranded braid instead.)  Or place in bowl of ice water for half hour to bring the inside temperature down rapidly; this will produce consistent smooth texture throughout the cheese.  Best eaten fresh, but if you wait, cover and store in fridge.

Yields between 3/4 – 1 pound of cheese.

If you make this and it turns out well, I’d love to hear about it!

Avivah

Someone asked me on Sukkos about if we eat entirely meal meals for the holiday, and if not, what we have.  Meat meals do get very expensive, and they get tiresome, too.  I like to serve at least one fish meal out of four meals, and for the second days of Sukkos, I made one dairy meal out of four.  Some of my kids vociferously let me ahead of time know they thought it was a terrible idea and would be very unfestive, but I went ahead anyway, and they all ended up agreeing what a nice meal it was! 

This information is a little late to be of practical use for the holidays, but I thought you’d enjoy a couple of the recipes.  We served a thick vegetable soup, blintz loaf, and double crust bean pie, and though it was a simple meal, it was really nice.  Each of those things make a nice dinner for a regular week night, too.

Below is the recipe for the blintz loaf – I’ve made other blintz loaf recipes, but my family prefers this one. Most blintz loaf recipes tend to be more batter, with a thin layer of cheese in the middle.  This is mostly cheese.

Blintz loaf recipe:

• 1 lb. small curd cottage cheese (I used ricotta)
• 3 T. sour cream (I left it out)
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/4 t. baking powder
• 2 oz. melted butter
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 c. flour
• 3 T. sucanat or honey

Mix all the ingredients, beating until smooth.  Beat until smooth.  Pour into greased pan, filling to top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes until brown.

Avivah

I meant to post at least a couple of the recipes from last week’s menu plan, but didn’t get around to it then.  But better late than never – here’s the version of baked oatmeal that we had both this week and last.  When my 2.5 year old saw us bring it to the breakfast table, he cheered, “Yummy, cake!”  Not quite cake, but very tasty.

• 1 c. butter
• 1 c. honey (I substituted sucanat and cut the sweetener to 3/4 c.)
• 4 eggs
• 6 c. oats
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 2 c. milk

I try to soak the oats in yogurt or kefir the night before, and then reduce the milk by the amount of kefir used.

Cream the butter and sweetener, mix in eggs.  Then add oats and remaining ingredients.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  I think this makes about a 9 x 13 pan, but since I doubled or tripled the recipe, I can’t say for sure.  Serve warm; I double the recipe and either stick one in the fridge for breakfast a couple of days later, or pop it into the freezer for another week.  Doesn’t need to be warmed before serving, but I think it’s nicer served warm.

Avivah

My mom brought over three plantains a few days ago – you know, those fruits that look like green bananas?  We’ve never had them before (which is why she brought them – I asked her to bring us a new fruit for Rosh Hashana, and she was hoping this would serve my purpose). The kids peeled one to taste it, and right away made faces – it’s not meant to be eaten raw and it’s not very tasty like that.  My husband has some coworkers from Central America, and he said they eat them like potatoes, cooked into stews.

Tonight my ds15 was hungry and I told him to look in the fridge for something, and he pulled them out.  I suggested he slice them up and fry them.  He used coconut oil, but then I mentioned butter, so he prepared some with each.  They were so yummy!  It took about one minute for them to get finished once he passed the slices out to everyone, but we all really enjoyed them.  They’re kind of starchy, but the cooking breaks the starch down and brings out the sweetness.

It’s nice to be familiar with yet another food, and if I ever see them on sale, I’ll know what to do with them! 

Avivah

 To start off the day, here’s a yummy breakfast recipe for oatmeal muffins! 

• 1 c. rolled oats (you can use quick oats, too)
• 1 c. buttermilk or sour milk (you can add a tablespoon of vinegar to a cup of regular milk; I use kefir)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. brown sugar (I’m thinking of trying out agave nectar for this)
• 1/2 c. coconut oil or butter (or shortening or margarine, but you know those aren’t good for you 🙂 )
• 1 c. flour (whole wheat for me, of course!)
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Soak oatmeal in buttermilk 1 hour (I soak it overnight because it helps break down the phytic acid and it’s also convenient – in the morning I can get up and immediately add everything else); add egg and beat well. Add sugar and mix, add cooled shortening. Add flour sifted with salt, baking powder and soda. Bake in greased muffin pans in hot oven (400 degrees) 15 to 20 minutes. This should make about a dozen, and I usually make four dozen for one meal.

You can throw in diced fresh fruit, blueberries, raisins, or whatever other kind of dried fruit strikes your fancy.  This is a new recipe that I’m trying, but it looks like it should be good.  If you make it, let me know how you like it.

Avivah

Late Saturday night, I decided to bake some cookies to take up for the kids at camp.  I’m not a parent who believes that kids need a boatload of junk food to hold them over while they’re away from home, but at the same time, wanted to leave a little something with them that had the taste of home when we left.  I decided on oatmeal raisin cookies, and since all three kids said they were delicious, I thought you might like the recipe.

• 1 c. butter
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3 c. oats (I did it so late at night that I can’t remember if I used rolled or quick oats – I think it was rolled but it doesn’t really matter)
• 1 c. raisins

Cream the butter and sugars, then beat in the eggs.  Add the remaining ingredients in the order listed.  Drop by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet, and bake for 10 – 12 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cool for one minute before removing from pan.  These are so yummy that you might want to consider doubling the recipe!

Avivah