50 Best Plants on the Planet (51 page)

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

1 cup kumquats, cut crosswise into
¼
-inch slices and large seeds removed

½
cup golden raisins or dried cherries

½
cup stemmed fresh red currants

¼
cup (packed) dark brown sugar

¾
teaspoon ground cinnamon

1
.
If the bread isn't slightly dry, allow it to sit out at room temperature for
6
to
8
hours to dry out a little.

2
.
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to
350
degrees F. Generously coat an
8
-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray.

3
.
Trim the crust from the bread and cut it into
½
-inch cubes. Put them in a large bowl; add the milk, sugar, raisins, eggs, vanilla, pie spice, and cinnamon. Toss to combine and allow it to rest for
10
minutes, tossing halfway through.

4
.
Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Put it in a larger dish on the oven rack and add enough hot water to the outside dish to come halfway up the side of the smaller dish. Bake for
1
hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Set it on a cooling rack.

5
.
Make the topping: Heat the oil in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the kumquats and raisins; cook
2
to
3
minutes, stirring occasionally, until the raisins start to soften. Reduce the heat to medium; add the currants, sugar, and cinnamon. Cook until the sugar melts, about
1
minute. Add
¾
cup water and cook until the sauce gets syrupy, about
8
minutes, gently stirring occasionally.

6
.
Cut the pudding into portions and place them in shallow bowls. Spoon the sauce on top. Serve.

Fresh red currants and sweet cherries give this tangy slaw a sweet-sour spark (most cherries sold in the marketplace are sweet, because most of the sour cherries are used by canneries). This colorful mélange is delicious served with grilled fish or poultry. Or for a vegetarian option, serve it with wild rice augmented with some chopped cilantro and toasted pine nuts.

Yields
8
side-dish servings

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

(per serving)

calories
220

fat calories
60

total fat (g)
7

sat fat (g)
1

cholesterol (mg)
0

sodium (mg)
45

total carbohydrates (g)
39

fiber (g)
11

sugars (g)
22

protein (g)
5

vitamin A IUs
80
%

vitamin C
130
%

calcium
8
%

iron
10
%

1 medium green cabbage, cored, and shredded

2 pounds fresh cherries, pitted and halved

1 medium jícama, peeled and cut into sticks
¾
by
⅛
by
⅛
inch

3 medium carrots, peeled and shredded

½
medium red onion, finely diced

½
cup chopped fresh cilantro

¼
cup stemmed fresh red currants

¼
cup pine nuts, lightly toasted (
see Cook's Notes
)

⅓
cup fresh lime juice (
see Cook's Notes
)

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (
see Cook's Notes
)

1 teaspoon lime zest

¼
teaspoon chili powder

Coarse salt (kosher or sea)

GARNISH 1
medium, ripe avocado, peeled, sliced, and coated with fresh lime juice

1
.
In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, cherries, jícama, carrots, onion, cilantro, and currants. Set aside.

2
.
To make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, jalapeño, zest, and chili powder; season with salt. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture; add the pine nuts and gently toss. Garnish each serving with avocado slices.

COOK'S NOTES
To toast pine nuts, place them in a small skillet on medium-high heat. Shake the skillet to redistribute the nuts so they won't overbrown on one side. Cook until they are lightly browned. Watch carefully because nuts burn easily.

Use caution when working with fresh chiles. Upon completion, wash your hands and work area thoroughly; do
not
touch your eyes or face.

Remove the zest from limes before juicing them.

Creamy polenta takes a sweet-tart turn when fresh red currants and raisins come to the party. It is delicious served alongside game, lamb, or grilled tofu. Or try it served with a mixture of wild mushrooms that have been sautéed in a little extra-virgin olive oil and tumbled with minced fresh basil.

Yields
6
side-dish servings

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

(per serving)

calories
180

fat calories
40

total fat (g)
5

sat fat (g)
3

cholesterol (mg)
15

sodium (mg)
480

total carbohydrates (g)
30

fiber (g)
1

sugars (g)
6

protein (g)
5

vitamin A IUs
2
%

vitamin C
10
%

calcium
8
%

iron
4
%

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup polenta or yellow cornmeal or corn grits

 1
½
tablespoons unsalted butter or soft tub margarine

¼
cup grated Parmesan cheese

⅓
cup raisins

Freshly ground black pepper

¾
cup stemmed fresh red currants

1
.
In a deep
6
-quart pan or Dutch oven, bring
3
½
cups water to a boil on high heat. Stir in the salt.

2
.
Gradually stir in the polenta using a long-handled wooden spoon (to prevent burns). Reduce the heat and gently simmer, stirring often, until the polenta is al dente (following the package directions),
20
to
25
minutes.

3
.
Stir in the butter and cheese. Mix in the raisins and season with pepper. Gently fold in the currants. Serve immediately.

The outer leaves of romaine lettuce have crunchy spines. They make juicy, noisy counterpoints to the quiet tender leaves that surround them. Work your way to the heart, and the dissimilarity diminishes. Rather than a deep green color, smaller leaves are celery green and the spines are quieter. The heart has a mild flavor profile with a touch of sweetness.

We know it best as the Caesar salad lettuce, but the versatility of romaine is well established. And it has great nutritional benefits for its ultra-low-calorie impact.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

(per
1
cup raw, chopped)

calories
8

fat calories
1

total fat (g)
0

sat fat (g)
0

cholesterol (mg)
0

sodium (mg)
4

total carbohydrates (g)
2

fiber (g)
1

sugars (g)
1

protein (g)
1

vitamin A IUs
55
%

vitamin C
19
%

calcium
2
%

iron
3
%

As with all leafy greens, romaine lettuce is a rich source of the B vitamin folate, which is good for heart health and bone health. Multiple studies have suggested a link between low folate status and depression. Two cups of romaine provides about one-third of your daily folate requirement.

Romaine has B vitamins beyond folate. It's a good source of thiamin, riboflavin, and B
₆
. The B group of vitamins performs thousands of functions in the body. They are often overlooked for their contribution to bone metabolism, both through lowering blood homocysteine levels (associated with hip fractures) and by participating in numerous enzyme functions related to bone metabolism. And romaine is a super source of vitamin K, another bone-building nutrient.

Lettuces such as romaine are good sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, phytochemicals related to vitamin A and crucial for protecting the retina and staving off macular degeneration (a leading cause of blindness in older adults).

Year-round

Look for heads of romaine that look crisp and are free of soft spots or discoloration. Wash before storage. If grilling (or if you want to keep the leaves attached at the root end for a salad), cut the head in half lengthwise, using a plastic lettuce knife if available; leave the leaves attached at the root end. Otherwise, cut them off at the root end. Submerge the romaine in a large bowl or tub of cold water. If they're very dirty, the leaves may require two rinses. Drain them in a colander; wrap the damp leaves loosely in a clean kitchen towel, and tuck them into a plastic bag. Partially close the bag and refrigerate for up to
5
days.

None, except if using in tossed salads. In that case, gently tear the leaves into bite-size pieces.

Grill romaine just long enough to create marks on the cut side; do not thoroughly cook it. Use
2
well-chilled hearts of romaine that have been cut in half lengthwise with the root end left intact (see Keep It Fresh). Brush the cut sides with extra-virgin olive oil. On a very hot grill, place the romaine cut-side down. Grill just until it is lightly charred, about
5
to
20
seconds, depending on the heat of the grill. Place the romaine on a platter, cut-side up, and cut off the bottom core. Drizzle with Ceasar dressing and garnish, if desired, with shelled roasted sunflower seeds.

Cut a Meyer lemon in half and brush the cut sides with extra-virgin olive oil and honey; season with salt and pepper. When grilling well-chilled halves of hearts of romaine (see Quick Cook), add the lemon halves to the grill, cut-side down. Grill them until they are deeply marked. When they're cool enough to handle, squeeze the juice from the lemon over the grilled romaine. Top with crumbled goat cheese.