polenta-style teff wedges (vegetarian)

recipe by m-c

just the recipe

what I was looking for

An entry-level recipe for teff. I'm very fond of the Ethiopian bread called injeera, which is made from teff flour, but I had never eaten teff as a whole grain.

what I made

Heidi Swanson's Polenta-Style Teff Wedges from Super Natural Cooking (pages
58-59), cooked under the broiler instead of on top of the grill.

grades for my version

healthy	C	Whole grain good, boatload of cheese not so good.
fast	D	Two full operations, not fast.
easy	A	Couldn't be easier.
cheap	B	Teff is still uncommon enough to be priced as a novelty in ordinary grocery stores, but Seattle has a large Ethiopian population, so I should be able to find teff priced as a staple if only I can identify the right store.
delicious	B	Interesting texture, and really, how could anything with all that cheese not be delicious?

yield

I made enough teff porridge to have it as an Act 2 breakfast cereal for four the next day; the Act 1 cheese-rich wedges made enough for four as a treaty side dish.

equipment

   a broiler pan with a rim

I used exactly the same ingredients in the same proportions as Heidi but slightly different methods.

the porridge

ingredients	Heidi scaled
teff	1 cup
water	3 cups
salt	to taste

Heidi: Boil the water, then stir in the teff and salt.

m-c: Stir the teff and salt into the cold water, then bring the pot to the simmer.

Heidi: Put the top on the pot and simmer the mixture for 30 minutes, stirring it occasionally.

m-c: Leave the top off the pot and simmer the mixture for 30 minutes, stirring it occasionally.

m-c: Set half the porridge aside for breakfast the next day.

the cheese

ingredients	Heidi scaled
Parmesan cheese	1/4 cup grated

both: Stir the cheese into the hot porridge.

Heidi: Spread the cheese-flavored porridge onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

   m-c: Spread the cheese-flavored porridge onto a broiling pan with a rim, lined with parchment paper.

Now the two methods diverge sharply. Heidi firms the mixture up in the refrigerator till it can be cut into wedges and grilled. m-c cooks the mixture under the broiler and cuts it into wedges afterward.

Heidi: Refrigerate the mixture or at least 30 minutes.

m-c: Let the mixture rest out on the counter.

Heidi: Cut the fully set mixture into wedges, brush both sides of each wedge with melted butter, and grill the wedges on both sides.

m-c: Put the fully set mixture under the broiler and broil till the top looks dark and dense, 6-7 minutes. Let the mixture cool till you can handle it comfortably, then cut/break it into wedges.

what I'd do differently next time

I'll lose the cheese. Teff's flavor is too shy to compete -- the wedges had teff texture but no teff taste. Maybe brushing each wedge with brown butter at serving time would complement the teff instead of drowning it out.

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