A friend of mine recently commented on my “stush” food. Stush is a Jamaican word meaning “high-brow”. I was a little taken aback, because while I take great pride in my food, I often think of it as accessible and easily duplicable. So I questioned him about it. Turns out what makes my food “stush” to him are some of the unfamiliar ingredients.
I’ll take that. For me, therein lies the beauty of vegan cooking. In an attempt to duplicate familiar flavors and textures, vegan cooking challenges the home cook to look at new ingredients or even familiar ingredients differently. Gone is the fish, but the fishy taste remains in the form of seaweed. Seitan easily and tastily replaces the texture of beef and nothing beats a Tofu Bolognese (meat-sauce).
Still, I wanted to make something for him that is so familiar and typically viewed as “low-brow”, presented with beautiful plating and delicious flavors, that he’d take the comment back one sweet bite at a time. In essence, I wanted to elevate a seemingly pedestrian dish. Now, in the words of a budding young chef, “I am no carpenter but I nailed it!”
Enter Jamaican Turn Cornmeal; Tun Cornmeal if you are even less stush. Let me tell, tun cornmeal is not the sort of thing people boast about eating. It has a reputation for being “poor” food and is often what is prepared for dogs in Jamaica. Turn cornmeal and “stush” are so vastly separated, one couldn’t cross the chasm if he tried.
But–and there is a but–dahlings, it is one of the most delicious, filling meals you’ll ever have. It is cornmeal cooked much in the same way as polenta, seasoned with onion and peppers with just a hint of coconut. I have a neighbor who hates all things coconut. I will not judge. I’m just saying, it’s coconut, coco-amazing-nut, coco-holy-island-nut. If you are like my neighbor, feel free to replace the coconut milk with a nut milk of your choice or even vegetable broth.
When you boil cornmeal, the bright yellow color becomes pale and unappetizing. To rectify, most Jamaicans add a pinch of curry powder. You are welcome to do so. I love, love, love curry but find it to be an aggressive seasoning that can easily overpower any dish. Since I don’t want this dish to have a curry flavor, I have achieved the bright yellow color with just a bit of turmeric. Turmeric is one of the spices used in the curry powder blend. It typically accompanies ginger and coriander to make curry. It is also a go-to vegan favorite to give food a yellow color without imparting a strong taste. I use it to make my tofu breakfast scrambles and in making fresh pasta.
Turn Cornmeal is generally served without form, i.e., straight from the pot, to the plate. Since it is somewhat malleable, (it is neither liquid nor exactly solid – it is the Schrödinger’s cat of food) it doesn’t have much of a shape on the plate. Perhaps this may be why, at first glance, it may not seem very appealing.
However, what if we were to make it unquestionably solid, with a shape, while still retaining the silky smoothness of the turn cornmeal? I think we’d be in for a stunner. So, I made this dish polenta-style, allowing it to cool and mold in a pan and then cutting into stunning shapes. I then grilled it for the lovely grill marks and topped it with my Raw Vegan Hearts of Palm “Crab-Like” Salad, and fresh avocado with a drizzle of my spicy mayo.
I think we may just have elevated the bejesus out of this dish. Holy stush, Batman.
Give it a try and let me know what you think, dahlings. I think if you were to serve this as an appetizer on Valentine’s Day, your sweetness (special someone) wouldn’t mind. He/she might just be impressed. 2 Points for Gryffindor!
Let’s cook together!
JAMAICAN TURN CORNMEAL (POLENTA-STYLE)
Ingredients:
-1 tbsp olive or coconut oil
-3 tbsp sweet onion (finely diced)
-2 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and stalk discarded
-1 tbsp green bell pepper (finely diced)
-1 tbsp red bell pepper (finely diced)
-2 cups water
-1 1/2 cups coconut milk (or other nut-based milk or vegetable stock)
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp brown sugar
-1 1/2 cups cornmeal (fine)
-Small Pinch baking powder (gives the cornmeal a lovely, silky texture)
-Small Pinch baking soda (gives the cornmeal a lovely, silky texture)
-1 stalk green onion/scallion
-1/2 tsp turmeric
-1 tbsp non-dairy butter (like Earth Balance)
-Salt (1 tsp plus additional to taste) and pepper
Directions:
1. Heat a large sauce pan or deep skillet on medium heat. Add oil and allow to heat for about 30 seconds. Add onion, thyme leaves, green and red pepper. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Saute until onion is translucent (2-3 mins). Add garlic and stir. Continue to saute for 30 seconds.
2. Add water, milk, 1 tsp salt and sugar. Bring to a boil.
3. In the meantime, combine cornmeal, baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl. Add 1 cup of cold water. Stir to ensure all the cornmeal becomes wet. Doing this reduces lumps when the cornmeal is added.
4. Reduce heat to low and add the cornmeal to boiling water a bit a time. Make sure you stir vigorously for at least 3 minutes to avoid clumps. It is best to use a whisk.
5. Add green onion/scallion and cover tightly. Cook for 20 minutes.
6. Turn off heat. Remove scallion. Add butter and turmeric. Stir to combine. Taste and salt as needed.
7. Spoon hot cornmeal into a large rectangular pan. Allow to cool and mold. You can refrigerate and continue another day, if so desired.
8. Remove pan from refrigerator. Using a cookie cutter, cut out desired shape.
9. Heat a grill pan on high heat. Brush the cornmeal pieces with a bit of melted butter or olive oil. Grill for about 5 minutes on each side, enough to heat through the cornmeal pieces and achieve grill marks.
SPICY MAYO
Ingredients:
-3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise (like Vegenaise or Just Mayo)
-3 tsp hot sauce
-Salt and pepper
Directions:
In a bowl, whisk mayo and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a squeeze bottle for controlled squirting in plating. Refrigerate unused portion.
Wine-Pairing Suggestion:
– Chardonnay
– Chenin Blanc
– Sancerre
– Sauvignon Blanc
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