Ancient Grains for Modern Meals - Maria Speck [28]
So don’t be surprised to find this whole grain lover hungrily breaking off a piece of crusty French baguette from a local bakery. Or indulging in an intensely decadent über-brownie on a sunny day in the park. I will be equally in culinary heaven when biting into a perfectly charred pizza crust when my friends take me out to their favorite joint—instead of lamenting the fact that it was made from processed flour. Same when I go to an Indian wedding with my extended family, and an exquisite biriyani is plated high, perfumed with saffron, married to perfection with cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, full of raisins and cashews—how could I possibly not pile it on my plate, just because the rice is not brown?
Which leads, straight down a buttery path, to my second food sin. You might already have guessed it: fat, in all its incarnations, including the long-bedeviled egg. To this day, I love to eat naturally rich dairy products such as heavy cream, plain whole milk yogurt, butter, cheese, and full-fat sour cream. I add eggs to my cooking, yolks and all. And occasionally when a dish cries for it, I will render bacon and pancetta, allowing them to unleash their mighty aromas onto my dinner plate.
Now I’m a bit anxious—because I have made these confessions before, over dinner, at my house, where whole grains always play a starring role. I have seen the stunned looks on the faces of my guests, the barely hidden disbelief when I fess up to the fact that there was lard in the whole wheat crust of the quiche. That a wee bit of butter and cream have been stirred into the saffron-scented brown rice risotto to make it so lush. Or that the lemon-scented millet dessert has been refined by heavy cream. Yes, not half and half, or light cream, but good heavy whipping cream.
All of this comes down to a simple culinary equation: I cook what I like to eat. Yet for much of my life, my obsession with whole grains has collided with the notion that whole grains are perceived merely as a health food, to be eaten only when one is on a diet. To my great dismay, we have succeeded in tainting whole grains with this “healthy” label, which takes the pleasure away from eating. Whole grains are part of a rich culinary tradition that spans the globe. I like to enjoy them for what they are, an amazing and still overlooked group of flavorful textured staples, worthy of being cooked into marvelous meals. But more than anything, I appreciate food prepared with care, from good ingredients, be it processed flour, fat, or whole grains. Here’s to the celebration of all things edible! Just be sure to pick up a crisp golden loaf of baguette once in a while. And serve it with butter.
Orange Polentina with Honey-Mascarpone Topping
Italians enjoy humble polenta in countless preparations. Polentina is a creamier version, often served for breakfast. I enjoy this warming bowl of simple honey-sweetened cornmeal whenever I need a pick-me-up—the moment my spoon dives into the rich, creamy topping, I know the day will be good. This recipe uses instant polenta for hurried mornings. For a more nutritious breakfast, choose whole grain stone-ground medium-coarse or coarse cornmeal. It will need to cook longer, 20 to 30 minutes, but it will also reward you with sweeter flavor and rich texture (for more on types of cornmeal and polenta). On Sundays, try adding a dash of citrus liqueur such as Grand Marnier or limoncello to the topping to make your breakfast sing. SERVES 4
POLENTINA
2 cups water
1½ cups whole milk
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup instant or quick-cooking polenta or grits
MASCARPONE TOPPING, AND TO FINISH
1 large orange
½ cup mascarpone
½ cup Greek yogurt
¼ cup