The Gritty,Wonderful Truth About Cornmeal

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Break the greens you intend to use into small pieces and cook them in a quart of boiling water until they're very tender. Drain by pouring the liquid from the greens into the beans ... and bring the beans back to a full boil.

In a small bowl, make a paste consisting of 1-1/2 cups of cornmeal, 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt, and a cup of water. When the beans have reached a boil, empty the cornmeal paste into the pot of beans (and stir fiercely while you do this to prevent the cornmeal from becoming lumpy). Simmer the cornmeal-beans mixture for 30 to 40 minutes. (The mixture should thicken considerably during this time, and the cornmeal should—near the end of the simmer-taste well-cooked.)

Now stir in the cooked and drained greens, add 1/4 to 3/4 cup of oil, and stir everything together. Serve hot with sliced ripe tomatoes and tender green onions. (The next night—when you take your farinita out of the refrigerator—cut it into slices and fry them.) Serves 6 to 8.

CORNMEAL PANCAKES

Whether you use yellow cornmeal or white in this recipe, you're sure to enjoy these crispy-crunchy, extra-tasty cakes.

1 cup of cornmeal (yellow or white)
1/2 cup of flour
2 tablespoons of wheat germ
1 teaspoon of salt 1/4 cup of non-instant powdered milk (optional)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups of milk or yogurt

Stir all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add extra milk as necessary to produce a batter that's thin enough to pour easily.

Next, heat a skillet or griddle to about 375°. (To test the hot skillet, drip water onto the bare metal from a spoon. If the beads of liquid dance around for a couple of seconds before disappearing, the temperature is right.) Grease the skillet lightly.

Now pour the batter onto the griddle, and make your pancakes as large or as small as you like. Cook the cakes until [1] no more bubbles appear on their surfaces, [2] they begin to look dry, and [3] their bottoms are golden brown (peek under the edge of one flapjack to see). Then turn them over to cook a minute or two on the other side.

Warning: Pancakes which contain wheat germ and dried milk scorch easily. So don't wander off and leave your cakes to fend for themselves, or they may end up a little too crispy!

When the cornmeal cakes are done, serve 'em at once with sausage or ham. And don't drown these beauties with syrup. Instead, try just a thread of honey across the stack.

BOSTON BROWN BREAD

1/2 cup of yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of powdered milk
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
3/4 cup of chopped dates or raisins
1/2 cup of dark molasses (or a 1:1 mix of molasses and honey)
1/2 cup of wheat germ
1 cup of milk

Stir the cornmeal, whole wheat flour, powdered milk, salt, baking powder, and chopped fruit together in a large mixing bowl. (Make sure each piece of fruit is well coated with the dry mixture.) Then add the remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly.

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