Lucid Food_ Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life - Louisa Shafia [28]
Lightly grease a 9-inch round pie dish or a 9 by 13-inch baking sheet with oil. Combine 2½ cups water in a pot with 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Sprinkle in the polenta and immediately whisk to break up any clumps. Decrease the heat to low and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Turn off the heat and scrape the hot polenta into the pie dish. Use a wet spatula to smooth the top and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the 2 tablespoons oil. Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and eggplant and sauté for 3 minutes, breaking up the eggplant into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Season to taste with salt. Add the stock and bring to a boil.
Decrease the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid has mostly evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the thyme, then stir in the spinach and basil until just wilted. Pour the eggplant mixture over the pan of polenta and smooth the top with a spatula. Spread the cheese evenly over the eggplant and roast in the oven until the cheese is melted and golden, about 12 minutes. Slice and serve.
Black Walnut Tea Cake
Foragers prize black walnuts for their rich taste. Scientists study them because they contain the compound limonene, believed to have anti-cancer properties. Remarkably, one botanist has suggested that limonene inhaled from black walnut trees could help prevent cancer. Removing the hull and extracting the meat is challenging; crushing the nuts under a car tire is a popular method. If you can’t find the real thing, use regular walnuts instead. Enjoy this mildly sweet cake with tea or coffee.
Serves 6 to 8
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon honey
2 eggs
2 cups black walnuts (or regular walnuts), pulsed in a food processor until coarsely ground
2 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon finely ground coffee beans, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and cover the bottom with a piece of parchment, or lightly dust with flour.
Combine the butter and honey in the bowl of a mixer and beat until soft and fluffy. Add 1 egg and beat for 1 minute, then repeat with the second egg.
In a large bowl, mix together the walnuts, flour, coffee, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Fold the dry mixture into the wet in 3 batches. Stir in the vanilla extract and lemon juice. The finished batter will be quite thick. Scrape the batter into the cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan and continue baking until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry, another 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool. Serve the cake at room temperature.
Fall Fruit Focaccia
Fall Fruit Focaccia
Choose your favorite fall fruit to adorn this sweet focaccia. The great Italian cook who taught me how to make it recommended throwing three tablespoons of water into the lower part of the oven (below the pan of focaccia) three times during the first ten minutes of baking. The steam created results in a crispier crust. Try it, but be careful not to extinguish the pilot light or soak the focaccia!
Serves 6 to 8
2 tablespoons fresh yeast, or 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon organic white sugar
5 teaspoons salt
5 cups flour, plus more for kneading
¼ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
1 cup honey, plus more for serving
3 cups sliced ripe fall fruit, such as figs, plums, seedless grapes, peeled apples, or peeled pears
¼ cup barley malt syrup
Fresh ricotta for serving (optional)
Crumble the yeast in a small