Polenta and Seitan

Another hot day in New York City!  This morning's cooking demo by Chef Elliott taught us about black eyed peas, polenta, ratatouille and how to make almond milk and almond cream.

The black eyed peas were used in a cold salad with greens and dressed with a simple emulsion of EVOO, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and dijon mustard.  Chef showed us how to emulsify the  dressing by slowly pouring the oil into the other ingredients while whisking constantly.  If done correctly the oil and vinegars will not separate.

Our ratatouille consisted of onions, celery, garlic, zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes consasse simmered over low heat.  This was served over polenta which is basically a porridge or gruel made out of course corn meal.  Polenta can be served either creamy or in a solid form such as triangles, squares or circles.  The trick to polenta is to cook it without lumps - this can be done using a cold water method. In spite of what your recipe might say, Chef Elliott says to put the polenta into cold water and bring up to a boil.  Then simmer until a wooden spoon or whisk can stand up by itself.  If you want to make shapes, pour the polenta onto a sheet pan and add a little olive oil on the top. Spread with a spatula to the desired thickness then set aside.  When solid cut into shapes. Polenta sqaures, triangles circles can be grilled or baked before serving.

For dessert we had Berry Parfaits with Almond Cream.  The cream was made from almond milk which is basically blanched almonds and water blended in a blender.  To make the cream we added Agar flakes ( a vegan substitute for gelatin) dissolved in water to the almond milk and added maple syrup for sweetness.  This concoction is left to set and then blended in a food processor to make it creamy.

After lunch we made Seitan.  For those of you who are not vegetarians/vegan you may not have heard of this food product. Seitan is a protein substitute made from flour and water which is basically broken down into vital wheat gluten.  WARNING - this is obvious not a good product for Celiacs!  To make Seitan you basically form a dough from flour and water, soak the dough in water for 30 minutes then rinse under running water unti it looks like a human brain. Once the gluten is "congealed" you break it into small balls and simmer for two hours in garlic infused shoyu (tamari) and water for two hours.  Hey I'm not making this stuff up!!! Once the seitan is done you can use it as a meat substitute in my recipes including stews, chiles, piccatas, etc.  We will be having it for lunch tomorrow so I will let you know what we do with it.  If you want to try it but don't want to bother making it pick up a package at your local Whole Foods.  The store bought versions are pretty good.

Had dinner tonight with Mike and Kim before they headed back to Massachusetts.  Nothing exciting - stayed local to my apartment in Brooklyn and had a couple of beers (and a few french fries) at the Double Windsor then dinner at the Windsor Cafe.  One of those places that has hundreds of choices on the menu  - nothing to rave about but filling and cheap food.  Hoping that something fits me in the morning. Ugh!  I have definitely gained weight this past week!!!!