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cranberry bulghur pilaf

SERVES 4 TO 6

TIME: 30 MINUTES

2 tablespoons olive oil

1½ cups chopped onions

3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

dash of salt

1 orange

½ teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary (1½ teaspoons chopped fresh)

1½ cups medium to light bulghur

1½ cups water or vegetable broth

½ cup dried cranberries (or currants or raisins)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

⅔ cup chopped toasted pecans, walnuts, or almonds (optional)

In a saucepan on medium heat, warm the oil, add the onions and garlic, sprinkle with salt, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. While the onions cook, grate the orange peel and juice the orange.

Add the rosemary, orange zest, and bulghur to the onions and cook for a minute, stirring. Add the orange juice, water or vegetable broth, and dried cranberries, cover, and cook on low heat until all the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. If the bulghur is still crunchy, add ¼ cup of hot water and cook for a few minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir in the soy sauce and lemon juice. Add nuts if you like, and more soy sauce and/or lemon juice to taste.

INGREDIENT NOTE If you don’t have a fresh orange, you could use ½ cup of prepared orange juice.

serving & menu ideas

Serve with Easy Baked Tofu or Seared Scallops.

polenta

Polenta can be made with any grind of cornmeal. We call for polenta cornmeal because it makes a particularly smooth and creamy polenta that also cooks quickly.

SERVES 4 TO 6

TIME: 10 MINUTES

4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup polenta cornmeal

1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter

Bring the water and salt to a rapid boil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Slowly pour in the cornmeal, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring often, until the polenta thickens and tastes done, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the oil or butter.

variations

The mild corn flavor of polenta makes it a good vehicle for other flavors. Add any of these to the boiling water: 4 or 5 chopped sun-dried tomatoes, a teaspoon of ground fennel seeds or dried thyme or rosemary, ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, or a tablespoon of chopped garlic. At the end, whisk in grated cheese and/or chopped fresh herbs.

POLENTA CUTLETS Polenta thickens as it cools, making it great for baked breaded “cutlets” that are crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, good topped with tomato sauce. To make cutlets, pour hot polenta into an oiled baking dish to a depth of about an inch. Refrigerate until cold. Cut into squares, rectangles, or triangles. Dip each piece into beaten eggs, milk, or water and then coat with plain or seasoned fine bread crumbs. Bake at 400° for 10 or 15 minutes on each side.

serving & menu ideas

Polenta is perfect for many dishes—chunky stews, beans, sautéed greens, and roasted vegetables. We like it with White Bean & Mushroom Ragout, Roasted Ratatouille, Mushroom Sherry Sauce, and Simple Tomato Sauce.

brilliant yellow noodles

Always a kid-friendly choice.

SERVES 4

TIME: 15 TO 25 MINUTES

3 quarts water

1½ teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

12 ounces pasta, any shape

Bring the water to a boil. Stir in the turmeric and salt and then add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain and serve.

INGREDIENT NOTE For this recipe, we’ve used Italian pasta, spelt pasta, rice noodles, and egg noodles.

serving & menu ideas

These bright yellow noodles are fun simply topped with your favorite pasta sauce or vegetable sauté. Use leftovers in a pasta salad. Serve under Tofu & Mushrooms Marsala, Spring Vegetable Sauté, or instead of bulghur with Saucy Hungarian Eggplant.

Peppercorn Citrus Marinated Feta

corn on the cob

Nothing beats fresh corn on the cob at the height of summer. When local corn is harvested, we want to eat it almost every day—seizing the moment, celebrating the season, getting it while we can. Flavorful