MAKES ABOUT 36 BLINI.
TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES, LOTS OF IT INACTIVE.
Blini are light, savory, yeasted pancakes with a real Eastern European feel to them. They are small and bite-sized, similar to silver dollar pancakes and make a great appetizer. This recipe is a little time consuming because you have to make the pancakes in small batches, so you may only want to serve it for special occasions. But it's really worth the trouble, we promise. Serve with thick Mushroom Gravy (page 211) and Horseradish-Dill Sour Cream (page 208) and top with fresh chopped parsley.
1 cups soy milk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1(-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
cup buckwheat flour
cup chickpea flour
teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Nonstick cooking spray or spray-on olive oil
Use an ice-cream scoop to efficiently pour the blini batter. Measure a tablespoon and a half of batter into it once to get an idea of how much batter that is, and then just eyeball it for the rest of the blini.
Use the thinnest spatula you can to flip the blini. Since you'll be using a nonstick pan, a very thin, flexible heatproof rubber spatula makes all the difference in the world. Of course, you can still get by using any spatula you've got.
MEASURE THE soy milk into a measuring cup and add the vinegar to it; set aside to curdle.
Mix the sugar and water in a large glass or plastic mixing bowl. Add the yeast and stir briefly. Leave the bowl in a warm place and let the yeast foam up; it usually takes about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the ground flaxseeds to the soy milk and stir well.
In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour in the soy milk mixture and mix until smooth. Add this batter to the yeast and mix again until smooth. Place a towel over the batter and leave it in a warm, draft-free place for about an hour.
Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Give the batter a stir-it shouldn't be bubbling over the bowl, just slightly bubbly. When the pan is hot, spray with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully pour about 1 tablespoons of batter into the pan to form a blin (pancake); you can usually fit about five at a time, but take care not to overcrowd; if you can only fit four, then so be it.
The tops of the blini should bubble up and set within 90 seconds (if they do not, then either the heat is not high enough or the pan hasn't had time to heat up properly). Flip each blini and cook for another 90 seconds. Both sides should be a dark, flecked golden brown.
If you are serving them within 30 minutes, you can place them on a plate covered with aluminum foil. If they are for later on, place on a baking pan in a 200F oven until ready to serve.
EVERYDAY CHIPOTLE-VEGETABLE TAMALES.
SERVES 6-8.
TIME: 1 HOUR 25 MINUTES FOR ASSEMBLING AND STEAMING.
We were originally going to call these "fiesta-something" tamales, but then were worried that people might wait until the Cinco de Mayo or some distant holiday before ever giving these morsels a shot. And that would be a crime. Although preparing the dough and filling is simple, tamale assembly can be tedious work, so enlist the help of a friend or two.
This tamale recipe is as flexible as you want it to be; add roasted corn kernels, chopped chiles, or scallions to the dough if you feel like it. Small bits of seasonal vegetables such as zucchini, pumpkin, poblano chiles, and even sauteed seitan would make perfect additions, too. You need a large steamer basket for this recipe, so don't proceed any further until you go out and procure one. Well, okay, you could use a little steamer basket, but then you'll have to make these in two batches and it will take you a little longer. So be sure to have lots of chips, salsa, and guacamole on hand to keep ravenous tamale-seekers at bay.
2 6-ounce packages corn husks Tamale dough: 4 cups masa harina corn flour
4 cups vegetable broth or equivalent prepared vegetable bouillon, warmed
2 teaspoons baking powder
cup olive or good-quality, unrefined corn oil
Chipotle bean filling: 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced small
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 (15-ounce) can pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels
cup vegetable broth
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced, plus 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce (use a 7-ounce can of chipotles in adobo sauce for this)
3 tablespoons tomato paste