Gapers Block has ceased publication.

Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
 Thank you for your readership and contributions. 

TODAY

Friday, March 29

Gapers Block
Search

Gapers Block on Facebook Gapers Block on Flickr Gapers Block on Twitter The Gapers Block Tumblr


Drive-Thru
« Art Exhibit Jelly Time! Five Bucks for Chuck »

Recipe Mon Apr 27 2009

Polenta with Spinach, Garlic and Tempeh

Tempeh for Polenta
Polenta goes brilliantly with spinach. Think of it as thick porridge. You can make it extra savory by cooking cornmeal in salted vegetable stock instead of simple water. I had thought it would take 4 cups of liquid to 1 cup of cornmeal for the polenta, but an extra cup of water was needed to soften it up and take the grittiness out. A few friends and I were sautéing onion, shallot, garlic, crimini mushrooms and jalapeño until tender, and then added that to the polenta once the polenta was soft, finishing with golden pan-fried crispy tempeh and spinach.

To get the polenta going, bring the stock to boil, slowly whisk in cornmeal, reduce the heat to simmer, and cover until soft. Stir when the cornmeal sticks to the pan, which will happen more frequently toward the end. If the stock absorbs before the cornmeal finishes softening, add a bit of water. We added our sauté at the end.

Polenta
We had also sliced tempeh into thin strips, and then across into smaller pieces. We had marinated the pieces for an hour or so in a mix of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, soy sauce, Co-op Image hot sauce, and a dash of maple syrup. As the polenta was cooking, we pan-fried the tempeh in a hot, lightly oiled pan until the tempeh turned a bit golden. I deglazed the pan with a splash from an open bottle of beer. We cooked the other side of the tempeh, and then mixed it into the polenta, timing it so they finished at just about the same time. If the polenta finishes early, turn off the heat and cover while finishing the tempeh.

The spinach went into the soft polenta just after the tempeh. It just needs a moment to soften. We also added a very fine grating of fresh galangal, for a little extra fragrance, just for fun because we had some nearby.

 
GB store
GB store

Feature Thu Dec 31 2015

The State of Food Writing

By Brandy Gonsoulin

In 2009, food blogging, social media and Yelp were gaining popularity, and America's revered gastronomic magazine Gourmet shuttered after 68 years in business. Former Cook's Illustrated editor-in-chief Chris Kimball followed with an editorial, stating that "The shuttering of Gourmet reminds...
Read this feature »

GB store

 

Events


Drive-Thru on Flickr

Join the Drive-Thru Flickr Pool.


About Drive-Thru

Drive-Thru is the food and drink section of Gapers Block, covering the city's vibrant dining, drinking and cooking scene. More...
Please see our submission guidelines.

Editor: Robyn Nisi, rn@gapersblock.com
Drive-Thru staff inbox: drivethru@gapersblock.com

Archives

 

 Subscribe in a reader.

GB store

GB Store

GB Buttons $1.50

GB T-Shirt $12

I ✶ Chi T-Shirts $15