Veganomicon_ The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook - Isa Chandra Moskowitz [79]
3½ cups vegetable broth or water
½ teaspoon salt (you may need more depending on how salty your veggie broth is)
1 cup polenta corn grits (polenta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups very well-chopped broccoli, stalks and tops (pieces should be no larger than ¼ inch)
BRING THE water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the polenta in a slow, steady stream, mixing with a whisk as you pour it. Add the broccoli and olive oil, and lower the heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Molding Methods: Tin Can: Grease two empty 20-ounce cans (tomato cans, for example) with olive oil. Spoon the polenta into the cans and place in the fridge for about 2 hours. Use a butter knife to help coax them out of the mold, slice into inch-wide pieces and proceed to Cooking Methods. This method of molding takes longer to chill because of the volume in each mold.
Muffin Tin: Grease a muffin tin with olive oil. Spoon the polenta into the tin, almost all the way to the top of the compartments. Smooth the tops with the back of the spoon. Refrigerate for about an hour. Use a fork to pry the polenta out of the tins and proceed to Cooking Methods. This method works best when you broil the polenta.
Square Pan: Grease an 8-inch square (slightly bigger or smaller is okay) food storage container, casserole, or brownie pan. Spoon in the polenta and spread it out evenly. Refrigerate for about an hour. Cut into squares and proceed to Cooking Methods.
Cooking Methods: Broil: Preheat the broiler. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Place the polenta slices on baking sheet and broil 3 to 4 inches away from the flame, for about 7 minutes, or until lightly browned. If using the muffin tin molding method, place them upside down on the baking sheet so that the rough tops are at the bottom.
Panfry: (Note: This doesn’t really work with the muffin tin mold molding method.) Preheat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour a very thin layer of olive oil into the pan. Place the polenta slices in the pan and cook on both sides for about 5 minutes each, until lightly browned.
SOFT POPPY-SEED POLENTA
SERVES 4 TO 6
TIME: 30 MINUTES
This is mushy comfort food at its best: a simple, creamy polenta that goes great with strongly flavored savory dishes, such as Tomato and Roasted Eggplant Stew (page 179). The poppy seeds make the usually humble polenta really aesthetically pleasing.
5 cups vegetable broth or water
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup polenta corn grits (polenta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
BRING THE water and salt to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Add the polenta in a slow steady stream, mixing as you pour it. Add the poppy seeds and olive oil, and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 12 minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat and cover. Let sit for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
CHICKPEA-QUINOA PILAF
SERVES 4 TO 6 AS A SIDE
TIME: 40 MINUTES
Nothing fancy, just a nice basic and versatile pilaf with quinoa—the grain of the Aztecs. You can come up with all sorts of variations here—use different beans and different spices and what-not. We like to cook quinoa this way, rather than flavoring it after it’s cooked, because it absorbs all the spices so well. Don’t forget that cooking with quinoa at least once a week will elevate you to level 7 vegan in no time.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped finely (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup quinoa
2 cups cooked or 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth or reconstituted