For years I’ve been told to put baking soda or lemon juice in my beans. When somebody tells you that - you, no I mean "I", automatically think - put it in while you’re cooking. WRONG!!! I had the most wonderful experience with bean soup last night. I’ll say no more on that particular subject!! I will say this though, Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon, advises that it is necessary to neutralize phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors as well as break down those complex sugars that cause the "big" problem!! Beans must not only be soaked to accomplish this, but they must be soaked with an acidic medium such as whey or lemon juice. Well, who knew!!! Nothing says you can’t "teach an old dog new tricks". I received a comment on yesterday’s blog telling me that you can use vinegar as well. Hmmmm, acid, hmmm, I will try it. Always handy to have an easy substitution around. Thank you.
I’ve been having a craving for Polenta, not the creamy kind, the solid kind and NOT store bought!! My son was having some stomach issues awhile back and he was looking at how different types of foods were effecting him and at that time I ran across this recipe. It is quite good! Topped with grilled or roasted veggies it can be a decent replacement if you wish for dining meatless. It is actually call Grilled Polenta and I will put it on my Recipe Page.
I’m thinking about making this Polenta but not grilling it. I’ll just fix it, cool it, cut it into squares and then heat the individual servings up in my electric skillet, thereby giving it a brown crusty looking surface. You can put jelly or jam on it, or sprinkle with confectioners sugar if you have a sweet tooth or eat it just like it is and it’s terrific. It pairs really well with pork loin, steak or ham. Since the Polenta needs to chill at least for an hour and I had to work today, we will have pork loin and polenta with stir-fried onions and peppers tomorrow. We’ll probably also have pearsauce since I have 20 quarts canned and that should be sufficient. I’m telling you - it WILL be good!!!
In the summer I grill the polenta, grill a meat, and grill pears, then slice the pears up, lay them on a bed of assorted leaf lettuce and arugula and drizzle with a little honey and lemon juice. Can’t beat it. So many ways to eat your good stuff!!!