The Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook - Kim O'Donnel [44]
INGREDIENTS
¼ pound feta, removed from
its brine
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:
Place the feta in the bowl of a food processor or blender and whip until smooth, about 90 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and whiz until well blended.
Makes about ½ cup. Amounts may be doubled if you like the flavor and want to use in sandwiches or omelets.
CORN CAKES
INGREDIENTS
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons blue
cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1¼ cups whole milk
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
⅛ cup scallions (about
3 scallions), cleaned, white
and light green parts only,
diced finely
¼ cup roasted almonds, chopped,
for garnish
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:
In a small mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, salt, and sugar and stir well.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the egg into the milk. Whisk in the butter when it is slightly cooled. Fold the liquid ingredients into the dry, then whisk vigorously with a fork. Add the scallions and whisk. You will have a total of 2 scant cups of batter. Pour the batter into a liquid measure with a spout.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook the batter in ¼-cup increments. Typically, I pour from the larger measuring cup to a smaller cup to maintain the consistency of size and thickness. You may need to stir the batter occasionally, as the cornmeal tends to settle to the bottom.
Pour one measure of batter into the skillet, lower the heat to medium, and cook on the first side until the batter starts to dry and get bubbly around the edges, about 90 seconds. Carefully turn onto the second side and cook for an additional 90 seconds.
Transfer to a plate and cook the remaining cakes. It’s okay to stack on top of one another.
TO SERVE:
In a small saucepan, warm the red pepper sauce over low heat, about 90 seconds. Alternatively, heat in a microwave for about 30 seconds. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if the sauce needs thinning.
As short stack: Top each cake with a teaspoon of room-temperature cheese. Ladle the red pepper sauce on top or around the cakes. Garnish with almonds.
As crepes: Spread 1 teaspoon of cheese in the middle of each cake, then fold in half or completely roll up, seam side down. Ladle the sauce on top, garnishing with almonds.
Note: These are best eaten right away, as the cornmeal toughens quickly; you may reheat, but do so in a low oven, with a foil cover, or in a dry skillet for 30 seconds.
Makes 8 cakes/crepes, enough for 3, possibly 4 servings
Mushroom-Spinach Scramble ★ Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Potatoes
MUSHROOM-SPINACH SCRAMBLE
This one-skillet wonder is inspired by a legendary dish—Joe’s Special—from Original Joe’s, an old-school San Francisco landmark. As is the case with iconic recipes, there are many variations on this diner-style scramble of eggs, spinach, and ground beef. In the KOD version, mushrooms are the “meat” of this matter, which, according to my mushroom-loving recipe testers, do a bang-up job. Special? Hell, yes.
KITCHEN NOTES: Get the potatoes going first, so they are in the oven while you prepare the scramble.
INGREDIENTS
2 bunches spinach (9 to 10
cups), washed thoroughly
and stemmed as needed
(chard, stems removed,
works equally well)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium-size onion, chopped
finely, or 2 shallot bulbs,
minced
1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped
finely
1 pound mushrooms, sliced thinly
(Choose oyster, porcini,
shiitake, or cremini, depending
on availability and preference.)
1 to 2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1
teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
6 large eggs, beaten lightly and
seasoned with black pepper
and salt to taste
½ to ¾ cup grated Parmigiano-
Reggiano cheese (optional)
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:
Have ready a bowl of ice water. Bring about 6 cups of water to a rolling boil with 1 tablespoon