It's coming up to Thanksgiving here and apparently everyone has been hit by the baking madness. That is to say: The grocery store was completely sold out of 2.5kg bags of white flour when I went to restock the other day. Not a huge problem, but it did mean that I needed to find a whole grain bread recipe to make this week. And, of course, preferably one that I hadn't made before. And this was the first one that I hit upon that I had all the ingredients for.

This recipe makes a lovely, dark, flavourful bread. It came out a bit sweet for my tastes, but still very good nonetheless. I might try reducing the molasses to 1/2 c. next time, just to see how that goes.

As expected, the dough was fairly sticky and challenging to work with due to the high percentage of rye flour, but it did come together eventually. Although it never got quite as supple and elastic as a predominantly wheat dough.

Pumpernickel Bread

Slightly adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 c. water
• 1/2 c. cornmeal
• 1/2-3/4 c. molasses
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp. caraway seeds, bruised/lightly crushed
• 15g dark chocolate
• 250g sourdough discard @ 100% hydration (optional)
• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 c. mashed potatoes
• 300g rye flour
• 200-300g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour, divided
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp. cold water

Directions

1. Combine water and cornmeal and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened (10-20 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and stir in molasses, butter, salt, caraway seeds, and chocolate.
4. Mix in the sourdough starter, yeast and mashed potatoes.
5. Add the rye flour and ~150g of the whole wheat flour and mix well.
6. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead (the dough will be very heavy, wet, and sticky) for ~20 minutes. Gradually work in the remaining flour while kneading.
7. Round the dough and place it in a covered bowl to rise.
8. Once dough is well-risen (60-90 minutes), knock it back and divide into two equal portions.
9. Round each portionn, cover, and allow to rest for ~10 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, flour two bannetons (preferably with rice flour).
11. Shape each portion into a loaf and place, seam-side-up into the floured bannetons.
12. Cover and allow to rise at room temperature for 45-60 minutes.
13. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
14. Grease a baking sheet and dust with cornmeal.
15. Turn the loaves out onto the the prepared baking sheet.
16. Beat the egg white with the cold water and brush it onto the loaves.
17. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 40-50 minutes.
18. Turn off oven and allow to stand in hot oven for 5-10 minutes.
19. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

This is a really interesting quick bread. It contains hardly any flour! Wheat bran is the main dry ingredient, with a little flour and cornmeal added in for good measure. It's relatively sweet and rich and can be dressed up with nuts, raisins, dates, or a combination of all of the above. Definitely more of a dessert than a sandwich bread. But it is, at least, a high fibre one!

I ended up adding a bit of sourdough starter and an extra tablespoon of cornmeal to my rendition of this loaf, but both are entirely optional. (I mostly just really needed to use up some starter.)

Butter Bran Bread

Slightly adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. butter
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 c. wheat bran
• 250g sourdough discard @ 100% hydration (optional)
• 2/3 c. whole wheat flour
• 5-6 Tbsp. cornmeal
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 c. milk
• 1 c. raisins, walnuts, and/or chopped dates

Directions

1. Grease and flour a 23x13cm (9x5") loaf pan and preheat oven to 190°F (375°F).
2. Cream the butter and sugar together.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
4. Mix in the wheat bran.
5. Stir in the sourdough starter.
6. Add the flour, cornmeal, and salt and sift in the baking powder on top.
7. Stir to mix well.
8. Mix in the milk to form a fairly thick batter.
9. Stir in the raisins, nuts, and/or dates.
10. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
11. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for ~45 minutes.
12. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then (carefully) turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling.

This is a fairly standard shortcrust pastry with the addition of a bit of cornmeal and an egg. (The original recipe actually called for two egg yolks, but I nicked the yolk of my first egg with a piece of shell and decided to just toss the whole egg in and it seemed to work fine, so I think I'll just do it that way on purpose in the future.)

Cornmeal Shortcrust Pastry

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 250g soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 75g cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 170g unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 3-4 tsp. cold water

Directions

1. Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt and mix well.
2. Cut in the butter until crumbly.
3. Mix in the egg with a fork.
4. Drizzle in the water, a little at a time, just until the pastry comes together.
5. Press into a ball, flatten into a thick disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use.

This made for a phenomenal brunch! The flavours were great and it looked very nice too. The only slightly hiccough (and I do mean slight) was that, in order to get the egg whites to fully set, I had to cook it until the yolks were also hard. They were still delicious. It just wasn't the set white, runny yolk result that I'd been hoping for. But, given how this one went, I think you'd need to cook the whites and yolks separately for that. That said, it was good enough like this that I probably wouldn't be inclined to bother most of the time. And, I will admit: having the yolks fully set did make it easier to serve.

I've given ranges for a lot of the ingredients here because I do feel that you have a fair bit of flexibility. Our green onions were large, so I only ended up using three. But with smaller ones, I think that the full six called for in the recipe would have been more appropriate. The recipe also called for just over 100g of each kind of cheese. I used 100 and felt that was very generous. I think that I probably could've gotten away with half that amount and still been quite happy. That said, maximum cheese was delicious! And I followed a similar logic with the asparagus, bacon, and garlic. For the eggs, the original recipe actually called for 4-6. But I had a very large pie plate and, even with six eggs, it still looked a bit sparse, so I tossed in an extra two and that seemed just about right.

Asparagus, Corn, and Egg Tart

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 recipe cornmeal shortcrust pastry
• 100-150g asparagus, trimmed
• 100-150g pancetta or bacon, chopped
• 3-6 green onions, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 c. frozen corn kernels
• 50-100g mozzarella cheese, grated
• 50-100g cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/3 c. half-and-half (10% MF)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6-8 large eggs
• 1/2 c. sunflower or similar sprouts (optional)

Directions

1. Roll out the pastry and use it to line a 23cm (9") deep-dish pie plate or 25cm (10") tart tin. Chill for 20-30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
3. Line the pie shell with baking paper, fill with pie weights, and blind bake for 12 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, blanch the asparagus for 1-2 minutes and then drain and shock in cold water.
5. Cook the pancetta/bacon over medium heat for a few minutes, then add the green onion and garlic and cook until softened (5 minutes + 3-5 minutes).
6. Add the corn and cook for another minute or so.
7. Remove the paper and pie weights from the pastry shell and spread the bacon mixture in an even layer in the bottom of the pie shell.
8. Place the asparagus on top and sprinkle with the cheese.
9. Drizzle with the half-and-half and season to taste with pepper.
10. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes.
11. Crack the eggs into the tart, doing your best to space them evenly. If it's important to you to have set whites and runny yolks, then separate the yolks from the whites and pour the whites on first. Set the yolks aside for now.
12. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
13. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15 minutes.
14. If you reserved the yolks, add them now, doing your best to space them evenly atop the tart.
15. Return to oven, turn off heat, and allow to sit in hot oven for 10 minutes to finish setting whites and thicken yolks.
16. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
17. Garnish with sprouts (if using), cut into wedges, and serve.

I've made a few different versions of huevos rancheros over the years. Usually it involves eggs poached in tomato sauce along with some sort of beans served on warm tortillas. This version replaces the tortillas with cornmeal waffles. And, honestly, it works pretty well!

TF voted for cheddar-chipotle cornmeal waffles, but plain cornmeal waffles will also work just fine. (Although, in that case, I might opt to serve the eggs topped with a little grated cheddar or crumbled feta.)

Recipe as written, you're meant to slightly "doctor" a can of ready-made refried beans. I already had a can of pinto beans in the pantry though, so I elected to make my own using those. I just sautéed some onion and garlic in bacon grease and then added the beans, a little broth, some chili powder, and a bit of pepper and lime juice.

Waffles y Huevos Rancheros

Slightly adapted from Waffles: Sweet, Savory, Simple by Dawn Yanagihara

Ingredients

Sauce

• 680g tomatoes
• 1-2 jalapeños
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Beans

• 1 Tbsp. bacon grease or lard
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c. cooked pinto beans
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• ~1/2 c. chicken stock
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-2 Tbsp. lime juice

Assembly

• 8 cornmeal waffles
• 8-16 large eggs
• grated cheddar cheese or crumbled feta (optional)
• chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

Sauce

1. Preheat the broiler. Halve the tomatoes if large and arrange them and the jalapeño(s) on a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Broil for 12-15 minutes, rotating as necessary.
3. Transfer the tomatoes to a blender jar and the chilies to a plastic bag (or wrap in tin foil) until cool enough to handle.
4. Once pepper(s) are cool enough to handle, unwrap and remove stem and skin. If milder sauce is desired, also remove the seeds and pith. For spicier sauce, leave the seeds in place. Add the pepper(s) to the blender with the tomatoes.
5. Add the onion and garlic for the sauce to the blender and purée until smooth.
6. Heat the oil over medium heat.
7. Pour in the sauce.
8. Bring to a simmer and add the salt and pepper.
9. Simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened (8-10 minutes).
10. Adjust seasoning to taste, cover, and keep warm until ready to use.

Beans

1. Melt the bacon grease/lard over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook until softened (3-5 minutes).
3. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
4. Add the beans, chili powder, masala, and stock.
5. Mash the beans with a fork or potato masher.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook until heated through and desired consistency is achieved. (Add a little more broth or water if beans are too thick/dry.)
7. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.

Assembly

1. Cook your waffles (or reheat if prepared in advance).
2. Fry some eggs. Plan to top each waffle with 1-2 eggs depending on how hungry everyone is.
3. Spread some beans onto each waffle and top with however many eggs are desired.
4. Spoon a generous quantity of sauce over the eggs.
5. Optionally top with a bit of cheese and/or cilantro and serve.

---

Variations

Vegetarian Version

Ingredients

Sauce

• 680g tomatoes
• 1-2 jalapeños
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Beans

• 1 Tbsp. corn oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c. cooked pinto beans
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• ~1/2 c. vegetable stock
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-2 Tbsp. lime juice

Assembly

• 8 cornmeal waffles
• 8-16 large eggs
• grated cheddar cheese or crumbled feta (optional)
• chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

I've done quite a few different cornmeal waffle recipes at this point. This one distinguishes itself by the inclusion of cheese, green onions, and chipotles in adobo in the batter.

We're actually fresh out of green onions at the moment. Luckily we had a nice bunch of chives in the fridge, so I just used a few of those in place of the scallions. Not quite the same, I know, but I think it was close enough for our purposes. And the cheese, chipotles, and alliums really do make a great combination.

Cheddar-Chipotle Cornmeal Waffles

Slightly adapted from Waffles: Sweet, Savory, Simple by Dawn Yanagihara

Ingredients

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. cornmeal
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 125g cheddar, grated
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. buttermilk
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp. chipotles in adobo, minced
• 4 green onions, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt.
3. Sift in the baking powder and baking soda.
4. Add the cheese and mix to combine, breaking up and clumps.
5. In a large measuring cup, beat the eggs with the buttermilk.
6. Pour in the butter and mix well.
7. Mix the minced chipotles into the wet ingredients.
8. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until just mixed.
9. Stir in the green onions.
10. Pour a portion of batter into the waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer's directions. Repeat until all batter has been used.
11. Serve with eggs, salsa, guacamole/sliced avocado, cilantro, and/or chili.

These are a fun twist on breakfast waffles with bacon folded right into the batter. Bacon grease also replaces some of the butter to really double down on the bacon flavour.

The batter is lightly sweetened, but also has a small amount of salt and pepper mixed in. So these waffles are poised to go either sweet or savoury depending on what you top them with. TF and I opted to take the savoury route and topped our waffles with some egg, cheese, and a little bit of leftover tomato sauce from the huevos rancheros. This made for an excellent breakfast!

At least, we thought so. The Kidlet was not so much a fan. She elected to have her waffle plain. And while she at the whole thing and said it was "okay", she opined that the bacon didn't really "work" here and felt that it detracted from the overall waffle experience. Shocking!

Kidlet's wrong opinions aside though, I think these are very nice waffles. The egg and cheese route worked quite well and I think that chutney and sour cream would also be a good combo. Meanwhile, the recipe author suggests pairing them with chili or chowder as a cornbread alternative for the savoury option and, of course, good ol' maple syrup if you fancy the sweet route. Basically, they're a very flexible waffle with lots of great serving options. I'm looking forward to enjoying the rest of them.

Cornmeal-Bacon Buttermilk Waffles

Slightly adapted from Waffles: Sweet, Savory, Simple by Dawn Yanagihara

Ingredients

• 140g all-purpose flour
• 150g cornmeal
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 c. buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 3 Tbsp. bacon grease, melted
• 225g (streaky/side) bacon¹, cooked and chopped

Directions

1. Preheat your waffle iron.
2. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and pepper.
3. Sift in the baking powder and baking soda.
4. In a separate bowl (or large measuring cup), beat the eggs with the buttermilk.
5. Whisk in the melted butter and bacon grease.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until almost combined.
7. Add the cooked bacon pieces and finish mixing.
8. Give a final stir with a spatula to ensure batter is fully mixed (a few small lumps are okay).
9. Pour a portion of batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer's directions. Repeat until all batter has been used.
10. Serve with sweet or savoury toppings of your choice: ketchup, eggs, cheese, salsa... chili... chowder... chutney, sour cream... maple syrup, fresh fruit, whipped cream... or whatever else you think sounds good!

---

¹ I picked up some chicken bacon on sale the other day and actually used that for this recipe. It doesn't really release fat as it cooks like streaky bacon does, so if you elect to use a lean bacon (like back bacon or chicken or turkey bacon), then you'll need to get the bacon grease for this recipe from elsewhere. I save the rendered fat/grease whenever I cook up a batch of streaky bacon, so I usually have a jar in the fridge that comes in handy for occasions like this. If you don't have a convenient supply of bacon grease that you can dip into then you can just replace it with lard, tallow, or more butter depending on your preference. It won't have the same bacon-y flavour, but it should still cook up nicely and make tasty waffles. ^Back

I still have a tonne of other recipes in the queue that I need to do write-ups for, but I tried out yet another new waffle recipe this morning, so I figured I'd post that first. (Hopefully I can get some of the other write-ups done soon!)

These waffles are an interesting mix: they combine yeast with a cornmeal batter. And then you add in brown sugar, molasses, and currants which all add their own distinctive flavours.

I quite liked these waffles. Especially with a little bit of mango yogurt and maple syrup! But they weren't a favourite for either TF or the Kidlet. Still enjoyed, just not devoured with the same enthusiasm that some of the others were.

And while the yeast-leavened nature of these waffles does mean that you have to be organized enough to mix up the batter the day before, that also means that it's all ready to go the next morning! It was very convenient being able to sleep in a bit and then just roll out of bed, flip the switch on the waffle iron, and be churning out fresh waffles just a few minutes later. Definitely a nice feature of this recipe.

I had slightly more than 1/2 a cup of currants left in the bag and, in retorspect, I wish I'd just mixed them all in. I liked the currants in these waffles, but it would've been nice with even more. Next time I think I'd aim for ~3/4 c.

Anadama Waffles with Currants

Slightly adapted from Waffles: Sweet, Savory, Simple by Dawn Yanagihara

Ingredients

• 175g all-purpose flour
• 150g (~1 c.) cornmeal
• 1/2 Tbsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. whole (3.25%) milk
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp. molasses
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 3/4 c. dried currants

Directions

1. Combine the flour, cornmeal, yeast, and salt and mix well.
2. Beat the eggs with the milk.
3. Whisk in the melted butter, molasses, and brown sugar.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk to combine.
5. Stir with a spatula to make sure there are no dry spots. (A few lumps are okay.)
6. Cover and allow to ferment in fridge for 12-24 hours.
7. Once the batter has risen, preheat your waffle iron.
8. Add the currants to the batter and stir to combine.
9. Pour a portion of batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer's directions. Repeat until all batter has been used.
10. Serve with maple syrup, molasses, yogurt, and/or fruit of your choice.

This is a very simple dish of savory cornmeal-buttermilk pancakes topped with lightly spiced black beans. They're pretty plain on their own, but still taste lovely and are really excellent when topped with some salsa and sour cream. I'm sure guacamole, radishes, and green onions would also go great. As would a bit of cheddar cheese.

I served these as a filling, leguminous side-dish to accompany some vegetable enchiladas. A very nice meal!

Cornmeal Pancakes with Black Beans

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Beans

• 1 (470mL) can black beans, drained
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tsp. chili powder

Pancakes

• 2/3 c. cornmeal
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed

Assembly

Use as many or as few toppings as you'd like. All are optional, but salsa is strongly recommended.

• salsa (red or green)
• sour cream
• chopped fresh cilantro
• chopped fresh oregano
• green onion, thinly sliced
• radishes, thinly sliced
• sliced avocado and/or guacamole
• grated cheddar

Directions

1. Combine the beans, oregano, and chili powder and warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
2. Meanwhile, combine the cornmeal, flour, chili powder, salt, and pepper; sift in the baking soda; and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter with the buttermilk and eggs.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk to combine.
5. Stir in the corn.
6. Heat a griddle or tawa over medium heat and lightly grease or oil it.
7. Make pancakes using ~1/4 c. of batter for each one and cook until golden on both sides.
8. Serve the pancakes topped with black beans.
9. Garnish with salsa and whatever other toppings you desire.

I've been enjoying working my way through the waffle cookbook and I figured waffles are always a good way to coax the Kidlet out of be in the morning, so I gave these cormeal ones a try. The Kidlet didn't like them quite as well as the buttermilk waffles I made last time, but they still ranked quite highly and I really enjoyed them too.

The author suggests that they are particularly good with blueberry compote or molasses-orange compound butter. I didn't bother with any of that though. The Kidlet wanted butter and some of Grampie's red currant jelly on hers. TF had some leftover cranberry-orange relish as her topping of choice. And I just had mine plain with some haggis on the side.

Cornmeal Waffles

Slightly adapted from Waffles: Sweet, Savory, Simple by Dawn Yanagihara

Ingredients

• 200g cornmeal
• 140g all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 1/3 c. buttermilk
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, and salt.
3. Sift in baking powder and baking soda and mix well.
4. Beat egg yolks into buttermilk.
5. Mix butter into buttermilk mixture.
6. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir to combine.
7. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
8. Fold egg whites into batter until just combined.
9. Scoop a portion of batter into the waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer directions. Repeat until all batter has been used up.
10. Serve with butter, maple syrup, fresh fruit, fuit compote, jam, and/or compound butter.

I was looking for a good side dish to go with our fennel-roasted leg of lamb the other day and decided that this polenta looked like a good fit. Ideally it would have been made with a mix of fresh mushrooms, but I didn't have any on hand and didn't want go out just for mushrooms, so I opted to use some mixed jarred mushrooms that I picked up a few weeks ago. I feel that this worked quite well, although I think I'd omit all the oil from the recipe next time (rather than just reducing it) since the preserved mushrooms clearly soaked up a lot of the oil they were packed in. Still... I'm happy with this approach overall and shelf stable mushrooms certainly make recipes like this more convenient to toss together on a whim!

This is another recipe that calls for Swiss chard as the preferred green. I had intended to use kale as an alternative, but, when it came time to actually make the polenta, we still have a few servings of spinach and beans left... So I opted to supplement those leftovers with some baby spinach and arugula that we had in the fridge and use that as the greens component of the recipe. I think this worked out pretty well! That said, I've chosen to write up the recipe closer to how it's presented in the book since I don't want the spinach and beans dish to be a requirement for making this. It just happened to be a convenience in this particular case.

Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Spinach, and Cheddar

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 8 c. water
• 1/2 Tbsp. Better Than Bouillon (or equivalent)
• 1 1/2 c. cornmeal (polenta)
• 2 bunches Swiss chard (silverbeet) or kale, tough stems removed
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary¹
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 450-500g wild mushrooms (chanterelles, morels, porcini, etc.), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 c. grated Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Combine water, Better Than Bouillon, and cornmeal in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until very thick (40-50 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, blanch the greens with the rosemary until the stems are tender (4-8 minutes depending on maturity of greens). Drain, chop, and set aside. If using baby or frozen greens, skip this step.
4. Heat the oil and 1 Tbsp. of the butter over medium heat.
5. Add the shallot and mushrooms and cook until softened (8-10 minutes). If using oil-packed mushrooms rather than fresh, omit the oil and butter and just drain the mushrooms and cook them and the shallots in any residual oil that clings to them.
6. Add the greens to the pan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until heated through.
7. Once the polenta has reached the desired consistency, stir in the salt and pepper, 1/4 c. of the cheese, and 1-3 Tbsp. of butter (depending on how rich you want it to be).
8. Transfer the polenta to a serving dish and spoon the mushrooms and greens onto it.
9. Top with the remaining 3/4 c. of cheese and serve.

---

¹ Since I wasn't following the recipe for the greens portion of this dish, I just stirred a bit of dried rosemary into both the greens and the polenta. ^Back

Pumpernickel au Ferment Aigre

This is another "faux" sourdough recipe from my new Bernard Clayton book. It makes a fantastic crusty rye loaf full of molasses and caraway. This may be one of my favourite breads ever. I think it would be interesting to try it as a pure sourdough -- without the added commercial yeast on day 2 -- but this approach certainly works fine and does speed up the process a bit.

I'm still getting used to how to work with rye flour. It is much lower in gluten than wheat flour and the dough tends to be somewhat sticky and flow-y even when at a reasonable hydration and properly kneaded. I think that I got this one just about right, but I know that I definitely need more practice with rye to get a better feel for it. That said, I'm certainly happy with how these loaves came out. They pancaked a bit during baking (possibly slightly overproofed), but the flavour and texture were both excellent, so no complaints here!

Sourdough Pumpernickel

Slightly adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Ingredients

Sponge

• 3/4 c. potato water (from cooking potatoes for dough)
• 250g active (fresh/fed) sourdough starter @ 100% hydration
• 1/4 c. molasses
• 300g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour

Dough

• 1 c. boiling water
• 1/4 c. cornmeal
• 1 c. mashed potatoes
• 1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast
• 1-2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1-2 Tbsp. caraway seeds
• 360g rye flour
• 1/2 c. hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. water

Directions

1. Cut up one or two potatoes (more if they're very small) and boil until tender. You want enough to make at least 1 c. of mashed potatoes.
2. Reserve 3/4 c. of the potato cooking water, then drain and mash the potatoes. Do not add any salt or butter!
3. Put the mashed potatoes in the fridge to be used in the dough tomorrow.
4. Combine the starter, molasses, whole wheat flour, and reserved potato water and mix well.
5. Cover and allow to ferment at room temperature for 8-12 hours.
6. When you are ready to continue with the recipe, whisk the boiling water into the cornmeal.
7. Mix in the mased potatoes.
8. If the potato-cornmeal mixture is still very hot, set it aside to cool a little before adding it to the sponge.
9. Once cooled (body temperature or slightly warmer is fine), add the potato mixture to the sponge.
10. Mix in the yeast, then mix in 1 Tbsp. of the salt.
11. Add the oil and 1 Tbsp. of the caraway seeds.
12. Mix in the rye flour ~1/4 c. at a time.
13. Once most of the rye flour has been incorporated, spread the last 1/4 c. or so on the work surface and turn the dough out on top of it.
14. Knead the dough, gradually working the remaining rye flour in.
15. Keep kneading the dough until it becomes supple. The dough will probably stick to your hands, so keep them well-floured. Once the rye flour is fully incorporated, use the white flour to flour your hands and the work surface as needed. It should hit a point where it starts to smooth out and become somewhat elastic. It will still be sticky at this point, but markedly smoother. Don't try to knead it until the stickiness goes away, it won't. Don't keep adding flour either; the dough will become too stiff. Just use what you need to get it to the point of smoothing out.
16. Once done kneading, round the dough (as best you can) and place it in a covered bowl to rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
17. Once the dough has fully risen, knock it back and divide into two equal portions.
18. Round each portion, cover, and rest for 10-15 minutes.
19. Shape as desired and place on a prepared baking sheet or in bannetons to proof.
20. Cover and proof at room temperature for ~1 hour or overnight in the fridge.
21. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
22. If loaves are not already on a baking sheet, grease a baking sheet, dust it with cornmeal, and turn the loaves out onto the prepared sheet.
23. Beat the egg with the water and brush the loaves with the egg wash.
24. Sprinkle each loaf with either 1/2 Tbsp. of caraway seeds or 1/2 Tbsp. of coarse sea salt.
25. Slash as desired.
26. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 40-50 minutes.
27. Turn oven off and leave loaves in hot oven for another 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool.

---

Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

Sponge

• 3/4 c. potato water (from cooking potatoes for dough)
• 250g active (fresh/fed) sourdough starter @ 100% hydration
• 1/4 c. organic molasses
• 300g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour

Dough

• 1 c. boiling water
• 1/4 c. cornmeal
• 1 c. mashed potatoes
• 1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast
• 1-2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1-2 Tbsp. caraway seeds
• 360g rye flour
• 1/2 c. hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour
• 1 Tbsp. non-dairy milk
• 1/2 tsp. agave syrup

Combine the non-dairy milk and agave syrup and brush it on the loaves before baking. Sprinkle with caraway or coarse salt and bake as directed above.

This recipe makes A LOT of polenta and eggs! You have been warned.

The reipe as written calls for 8 eggs, but I really felt like that would be way too much polenta for the amount of egg. And we had a lot of eggs to use up, so I did it with a full dozen eggs. I think this produced an excellent egg-to-polenta ratio, but it does mean that you have rather a lot of baked eggs to eat. I suggest making them in individual ramekins so that leftovers can be easily reheated in individual portions.

Also, the recipe says that these are to be served with buttered toast. But, since the polenta already provides a nice, slightly buttery, cheesey, starchy backdrop for the eggs, I skipped the toast. I like them much better with a bit of tomato salsa or marinara sauce on top. Delicious!

Eggs Baked in Polenta

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 6 c. water
• 1 1/2 c. cornmeal
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. milk
• 2-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/3-1/2 c. grated Parmesan
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 12 large eggs
• 150g Taleggio or fontina¹, shredded
• salsa or tomato sauce, to serve

Directions

1. Add the cornmeal and salt to the water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, for 25-30 minutes.
3. Add milk and butter and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
4. Stir in the Parmesan and nutmeg.
5. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease 12 ramekins or mini casserole dishes.
6. Divide the polenta among the the ramekins.
7. Make an indentation in the centre of each portion of polenta.
8. Break an egg into a cup and pour it into one of the indentations. Repeat with remaining eggs.
9. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the eggs.
10. Bake until polenta is golden around the edges and eggs are soft-cooked (~15 minutes).
11. Let stand for 3 minutes.
12. Top with salsa and/or tomato sauce and serve.

---

¹ My fontina had gone off, so I just ended up using some mild marble cheddar for this go 'round. ^Back

Lean, cornmeal pancakes without any butter or oil in the batter. They're pretty tasty, but I do feel that they need a little syrup or something on top. I thought about putting more fruit, but I really wanted the syrup.

The original recipe said that you should get four servings of three pancakes each using ~1/4 c. of batter per pancake. I did that, but I only got 10 pancakes from my batch! On the bright side, that did make the math for Points per pancake work out a little nicer.

Oh. I think I just figured out why a) my batter seemed a bit on the thick side and b) I didn't get as many pancakes as the recipe said I should. I forgot the water! It wasn't listed in the ingredients, so, as far as my brain was concerned, it didn't exist. Aargh!

Cornmeal Blueberry Pancakes

Slightly adapted from Weight Watchers

Ingredients

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/3 c. cornmeal
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 c. buttermilk (or 1 c. milk + 1 Tbsp. lemon juice)
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 large egg
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

1. Combine the flour, cornmeal, and salt.
2. Sift in the baking powder and baking soda and stir to combine.
3. In a measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon zest, egg, and WATER.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined.
5. Stir in the blueberries.
6. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, heat a griddle or tawa over medium-low heat.
8. Very lightly grease it and cook your pancakes, using ~1/4 c. of batter for each one.
9. Serve with fresh fruit and/or maple syrup.

A nice quick, easy, meal that produces very satisfying results. There's not much to it, but I found the sweetness of the onions and bell peppers really came through.

I didn't have quite as much sausage as the recipe called for, but I think it was still okay with the lesser amount. I also opted to toss a bouillon cube into the polenta in place of the salt called for in the original recipe. And, as usual, I cooked my polenta with a little more water than Cook's Country recommends. They advise a 4:1 ratio of water:polenta, but I usually do 5:1.

The only other change I made was to reduce the quantity of butter called for. I've been trying to eat a little healthier and I know just eating the same things with slightly less butter/fat won't make much difference, but hopefully it'll help a little.

Oh, and I was using Beyond Meat sausages, so this was actually a vegetarian meal for us as well.

Polenta with Sausage, Peppers, and Olives

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2017

Ingredients

• 5 c. water + 1 bouillon cube (or 2 c. water + 3 c. stock of your choice)
• 1 c. cornmeal
• 450g Italian sausages
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1 onion, halved and sliced thin
• 425mL crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 3/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground, divided
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

1. Combine the water and cornmeal and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until very thick.
3. Meanwhile, cook the sausages over medium heat until browned on all sides (5-6 minutes).
4. Increase heat to medium-high and add the bell pepper and onion.
5. Cook until vegetables are softened (4-5 minutes).
6. Add the tomato, red pepper flakes, salt, and 1/4 tsp. of the butter and cook until slightly thickened (3-4 minutes). Break the sausages up a bit if you'd like.
7. Remove from heat and stir in olives.
8. When the polenta is done, remove from heat and stir in butter and remaining 1/2 tsp. of pepper.
9. Serve polenta topped with sauce.

I've been wanting to try this cake for ages. I loved the idea of peaches and cornmeal. I was wary of the caramel -- not because I don't like caramel, but because I never seem to have good luck with making it -- but I was willing to give it a go.

In the end, I think I was more excited by the making of the cake than the eating of it. TF loved it though, so that was gratifying.

Peach Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake

From Cook's Country August/September 2016

Ingredients

Caramel

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt

Cake

• 1/2 c. cornmeal
• 340g frozen sliced peaches (or 450g fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into wedges)
• 140g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. whole (3.25%) milk
• 2 tsp. grated orange zest
• 1/4 c. orange juice
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Lightly toast the cornmeal in a 25cm (10") skillet, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
3. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and melt the butter for the caramel over medium heat.
4. Add the sugar for the caramel along with the salt and cook, whisking constantly, until sugar is melted and smooth (3-5 minutes).¹
5. Remove from heat and carefully add the peach slices. Try to make a pinwheel pattern along the outside edge and then fill in the middle as you're able.
6. Whisk the flour into the cornmeal and sift in the baking powder and baking soda. Mix in the salt as well.
7. In a separate bowl, combine milk, orange jest, orange juice, egg, egg yolk, sugar, and melted butter and whisk until smooth.
8. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just combined.
9. Pour batter over peaches and spread into an even layer.
10. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30-35 minutes.
11. Transfer entire skillet to wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
12. After 15 minutes, place a serving platter over the skillet and, using potholders, invert the cake onto the serving platter.
13. Let cool for ~1 hour before serving.
14. Serve as is or topped with whipped cream.

---

¹ It will go through a phase where it looks dry and crumbly and seems like something's gone horribly wrong; just keep going! Keep cooking and whisking and it'll eventually melt into a nice brown caramel. ^Back

Polenta con Funghi e Peperoni (Polenta with Mushrooms and Peppers)

This reminds me a lot of the rustic polenta casserole recipe in the Complete Vegetarian from America's Test Kitchen. The topping was very tasty. However, I think I probably should've cooked the polenta a bit more. It didn't set and firm up the way I would've liked. I was hungry and impatient though. The flavour's still fine as is. It's just not my preferred texture.

Polenta con Funghi e Peperoni

Slightly adapted from Cooking from an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli and Jon Cohen

Ingredients

• 2L water
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 c. cornmeal (preferably coarse)
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 225g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 3 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 recipe sugo finto
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 2 Tbsp. capers, chopped
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Combine water, salt, pepper, and cornmeal in a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring often for at least half an hour. You may need to cook for even longer if you want your polenta to have a firm, sliceable consistency once baked.
3. Grease a 23cm by 33cm (9"x13") lasagne pan and pour the polenta into the pan. Set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
5. Melt butter over medium heat.
6. Add onion and cook until softened.
7. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
8. Add mushrooms and peppers and cook for a further 10 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and spread vegetable mixture over polenta.
10. Warm up tomato sauce and stir in parsley, basil, and capers.
11. Pour sauce over vegetable-topped polenta.
12. Sprinkle surface with Parmesan.
13. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes.

One more Hello Fresh. This was, unsurprisingly, a hit with the Kidlet, who likes absolutely everything in it.

Cornmeal-crusted Salmon with Green Beans & Potatoes

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 720g potatoes, sliced into 5mm rounds
• 120mL cornmeal
• 30+90mL mayonnaise, divided
  
• ~500g salmon filets, boneless
• 340 green beans, trimmed
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 180mL sour cream
• 30mL white wine vinegar
• 15g dill, finely chopped
  
• 15g parsley, finely chopped
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Toss potatoes with 30mL oil. Season with salt and pepper, and bake until golden-brown, 25-30 minutes.
3. Combine cornmeal with 2.5mL salt and 5mL pepper in a shallow dish.
4. Brush salmon with mayo 30mL and then dredge in cornmeal.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Add 30mL oil, 60mL water, green beans, garlic, and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp, 6-7 minutes. Remove and buffer.
7. Reduce heat to medium, add another 30mL of oil, and cook salmon until golden-brown and cooked through, ~4-5 minutes/side.
8. Whisk together sour cream, vinegar, parsley, dill, and remaining mayo in a small bowl.
9. Serve with mayo on the side as dipping sauce, or drizzled over fish and potatoes.
   

I could not get over how incredibly odd this recipe sounded. The authors swore it was delicious and an especially big hit with kids. I wasn't entirely sold, but I was curious.

The peanuts and the corn both came through nicely. I don't think they really complement each other, but they don't clash either. I feel like maybe they need another element to tie them together. I think adding a few blueberries might make the peanuts feel a little more harmonious and like they're actually meant to be there. Overall, I can't say that I think this will become a new favourite, but the muffins were tasty enough. I might try them again sometime. Especially if I have blueberries to use up.

Peanut-Corn Muffins

Slightly adapted from the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 3/4 c. cornmeal
• 1/4 c. roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1/4 c. natural (no salt or sugar added) peanut butter
• 2-3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 c. blueberries, tossed in 1-2 tsp. of additional flour (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a muffin tin.
2. Sift baking powder into flour.
3. Add salt, cornmeal, and peanuts.
4. Whisk oil and honey into the peanut butter.
5. Add buttermilk and egg and mix thoroughly.
6. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
7. Stir in blueberries (if using).
8. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin.
9. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 18-20 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and let cool in tin for 5-10 minutes.
11. Turn muffins out onto wire rack to finish cooling.

I grew up hearing the story of anadama -- a bread which supposedly arose when a fisherman got tired of his wife Anna making the same cornmeal porridge every day -- but I'd never actually tried it before. I generally like cornbread and other baked goods containing cornmeal, so I was hopeful that this bread would also be a success.

I think it was reasonably successful in the end. The flavour is good and everyone seems to like it. But man-oh-man, this was by far the most miserable, difficult dough I've ever had to work with! And I got ZERO oven spring from it. Which was somewhat disappointing. I am inclined to experiment with some different recipes and mixing techniques to see if I can find something that works a little better.

I'm writing this version up now, just to have a record of what I did and how it behaved. I wouldn't recommend trying to follow this recipe unless you're prepared for a big mess and a relatively dense (but flavourful) bread though.

Anadama

Slightly adapted from The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 1 c. water
• 1 c. cornmeal
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast (or 1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast)
• 1 2/3 c. warm water
• 600g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/3 c. molasses
• 1/4 c. oil

Directions

1. Combine the cornmeal with 1 c. of water and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
2. Cook until thick and just starting to stick to the bottom a little.
3. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside to cool and hydrate. Time needed will vary from 15 minutes to as long as overnight depending on how coarse your cornmeal is.
4. Once the cornmeal has cooled and softened, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes.
5. Combine flour and salt and mix well.
6. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture.
7. Gradually incorporate flour into liquids, working from the centre outward.
8. Once a stiff dough has formed, turn it out and kead it for ~10 minutes.
9. Use a fork to mix the molasses and oil into the cornmeal, breaking up any lumps.
10. Press dough flat and spread cornmeal mixture on top.
11. Knead cornmeal mixture into dough. This will be very messy. The dough will become quite wet. Mine became so soupy that I had to add a couple Tbsp. of flour despite the authors' dire warnings not to add any flour at this stage. Once the cornmeal was incorporated, it basically became a batter. It was pourable. The addition of a couple Tbsp. of gluten flour took it to being merely incredibly messy, sticky, and sloppy rather than actually runny.
12. Transfer the sloppy mess to a bowl, cover, and set aside to rise for ~90 minutes.
13. Even after sitting for an hour and a half, my dough was still completely unworkable, so I worked in ~1/4 c. more flour at this point to try to make it a little more manageable. It was still extremely sticky and wet even so.
14. Return to bowl, cover, and allow to rise for another hour or so. (I found it completely impossible to do a finger poke test with this dough, even with a very wet finger. The dough was just way too sticky.)
15. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and divide into two equal portions.
16. I found trying to round the portions to be a fool's errand. It was just too wet and too lacking in structure. I probably ended up working in another 2-3 Tbsp. of flour at this stage.
17. Cover and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
18. Shape into loaves (as best you can) and place into greased loaf pans.
19. Cover and allow to rise for another 45 minutes or so.
20. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~1 hour.