Teff Crostini

BY CATHY KATIN-GRAZZINI Move over polenta and make room for teff! Both gluten-free grains congeal upon cooling which makes them perfect candidates for crostini. Sliced and pan-toasted they become delightful crispy thin slabs with soft interiors that make tasty foundations for any crostini toppings you like. Shown here with roasted mini bell peppers and fresh thyme, roasted cherry tomatoes and capers, and blanched French beans over sautéed mushrooms. Teff crostini are a tasty appetizer and fun party fare.

Photo by Giordano Katin-Grazzini

Teff cooking time 20 minutes to make a porridge + 1 hour to cool + 20 minutes to pan toast Toppings prep time 45 minutes Cooking time 45 minutes Makes 20-40 crostini, depending on dimensions

INGREDIENTS

Teff

• 1 cup brown or white whole teff grains • 3 cups water • 2 Tablespoons vegetable powder, no-salt OR 3 Tablespoons chopped dehydrated mixed veggies, no-salt • 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast • 2 Tablespoons Shiro (white) miso paste •

Toppings ••

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half • 1 Tablespoon capers • 2 cups mini bell peppers, cored • Fresh thyme leaves • 2 cups French beans • 1 Tablespoon Aleppo pepper flakes • 1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes • 2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced • 1 small onion, diced • Splash of dry white wine • 1 clove garlic, minced • Sprigs fresh thyme • 1 teaspoon porcini mushroom powder • Grinds of black pepper • 2-3 teaspoons of Shiro miso paste or to taste

• Miso is a good salt alternative that lowers heart rate and does not elevate blood pressure, unlike salt. (https://tinyurl.com/hrnpucpf). •• Hint! Don’t restrict yourself to these toppings; use whatever vegetables you have on hand, blanched, sautéed, or chopped in a raw salsa. With crostini, your only limitation is your imagination!

DIRECTIONS

Teff

Add raw teff to a saucepan. Heat over medium flame for 5 minutes or so, stirring, or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Add 3 cups boiling water and then the vegetable powder, nutritional yeast, and miso, tasting it to correct seasonings. Lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally but with increasingly frequency as it thickens. When fairly dense, but still pourable, pour teff into a rectangular Pyrex food storage container and smooth top with an angled icing spatula. Alternatively, pour onto a large wood board, squaring edges with a flat edge and smoothing the top as it cools. To accelerate its cooling, once it is no longer too hot to handle, place in the fridge for about an hour. When the teff has fully chilled and congealed, run a knife around the perimeter if you used a Pyrex container, invert, slice with a wet knife, cleaning it with every cut. Cut the crostini into the size you prefer. Set aside as you prepare your toppings.

Toppings

Tomatoes: In a 425°F/218°C oven, roast tomatoes, cut side up, for 30 minutes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or until partially dehydrated and slightly crispy on their edges. Cool. Pulse in a food processor or chop crudely. Stir in capers. Set aside. Peppers: In a 350°F/176°C oven, roast mini peppers for about 30 minutes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or until they begin to soften and collapse and are lightly toasted. Cool. Pulse in a food processor or chop crudely. Stir in fresh thyme leaves. Set aside.

French Beans: Blanch French beans for 8-10 minutes in boiling water or until tender crisp, then plunge immediately in ice water to brighten color and halt cooking. Drain. Cut in fine slices. Stir in dehydrated onion and Aleppo pepper flakes. Mushrooms: Heat a skillet. Add onion and thyme sprigs. Dry sauté for a few minutes until they soften and begin to caramelize. When they adhere to the pan, deglaze with wine, scraping up the caramelized sugars from the pan. Add garlic and cremini, stirring, and sauté for 10 minutes or until they cook and release their liquid. Season with porcini powder, black pepper, and miso to taste, stirring it very well to dissolve and disperse it thoroughly.

Compose the Crostini

Preheat nonstick skillet(s) for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add teff slabs and cook for 5 minutes on each side, flipping to toast evenly and to brown lightly. Serve warm, topped with your warmed or room-temp toppings, and watch them quickly disappear.