Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Making Brown Butter Polenta

Brown Butter Polenta
By Hans Butler





Serves 4-6
Ingredients
¼ # unsalted butter
½ onion, peeled and diced
3 cups water
1 cup polenta
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Heat butter over medium heat (watch closely) for about 4 minutes.  The butter will melt, sizzle, and then the solids in the bottom of the pan will start ot toast.  The butter is ready when it is medium brown and has a nutty aroma.

Add diced onion to brown butter and season generously with salt and pepper.  Saute for about 5 seconds.  Add water, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a boil.  Remove thyme and bay leaf and slowly whisk in the polenta.  Lower the heat to the lowest setting and continue simmering and whisking for 30 minutes.

Serve polenta soft in warm like a savory porridge or pour into a pan to make polenta cakes (good for grilling or searing in a cast iron skillet).



Beautiful Upstate NY coarse ground Polenta from...

http://farmergroundflour.squarespace.com/

Upstate NY unsalted butter browning slowly in a pan....

it takes on an amber color and starts to foam a bit....

Notice the solids toasting and turning golden brown....

emitting a rich nutty aroma. 

Roast the butter GENTLY!...but get those solids nice and brown!

Some more natural flavor enhancers...

in the pan with the butter; dancing and caramelizing...the diced onions bursting open, releasing their juices and begging for some salt and pepper.


Add the water, bring it to a boil....

add the polenta and mix...

stir over medium heat...

TURN THE HEAT TO DOWN TO LOW...and mix....

and stir....

and mix (check out the consistency)...

and stir for about 30 minutes; serve as a soft polenta (you may need to add a little more liquid until you reach your desired consistency) or....
                                                                                                               





pour into a greased up sheet pan and let set for at least an hour, cut into desired shapes and grill or brown in a cast iron skillet.



SEXY CLOSE UP SHOT ; )

Friday, May 13, 2011

A CPO Live Oat Broadcast from Upstate NY!

This just in; CPO live oats are awesome!  You don't even need to cook them; just soak overnight, drain, and blend them up.  This a delicious and simple powerhouse breakfast...and for those complaining about the chaff in their teeth: please submerge in water and agitate, remove the bits that float to the top (repeat this process at least 3 times)!  It really works; I promise...and it only takes 1 single minute! 

Sprouted Raw Oatmeal (aka powerhouse breakfast)
By Hans Butler
Ingredients
1 cup CPO live oats
½ cup water
2 tbs real maple syrup
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
¼ cup dried figs
2 tbs roasted pumpkins seeds

Directions

The night before submerge oats in water and agitate, remove any pieces that float to the top; repeat this process 3 times (this helps remove most of the chaff).  Cover oats in fresh water and soak (you can soak the oats for 24hrs; if you do, change the water at least every 8 hrs).

Drain the soaking liquid and rinse oats.  Put the oats and all of the other ingredients in the blender; reserve the pumpkin seeds for garnish.  Blend into smooth consistency (it should look like a milk shake); serve room temperature or chilled, garnish with pumpkin seeds and an extra fig.



Serves 2-4