All Things Chill

I’m in love with polenta. Essentially, it’s cornmeal with liquid added to create a thick porridge-like consistency. It’s technically the same thing as grits (as they’re both milled corn), but with a smoother, richer texture. Think of it as corn’s bad ass response to mashed potatoes. They’re just as versatile as the spud’s side dish too.

I’ve been trying the “instant” dry polenta for about a week now, and I have to say that it’s as simple as a blue box of Kraft’s Mac n’ Cheese. First, it asks you to boil three cups of liquid. I used 1 cup of water and 2 cups of chicken broth for more flavor. Then, slowly stir 1 cup of polenta with a wooden spoon (or spatula hee hee), take off the heat and stir frequently for 5 to 6 minutes, the once liquid-y mixture will tighten up and thicken. Done! At this point, the polenta is still warm enough to accept other supporting combos such as…

• Bacon, leek and mild cheddar cheese
• Diced jalapeno and Monterrey jack
• Sweet corn and extra sharp cheddar
• Sun-dried tomatoes and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

After the supporting ingredients are folded in, serve it as a strong addition to a veggie, seafood or chicken dish. Although… you could make it the focal point of your meal the next day, with just a few modifications.

Heat a heavy skillet (non-stick preferred) over med-high heat, add a few tablespoons of olive oil, and make sure it’s nice and hot. Take your left over polenta and spread it out on a flat surface (like a baking pan) with a clean knife to achieve around a 1 1/2 inch thickness. Use a mug or cookie cutter to cut the polenta into disks and lay them on the preheated skillet. You should hear it sizzle right away. Let it cook for 3 minutes (not a second less!) so that it can make a nice crust and unstick itself from the bottom of the pan. Flip, cook for a couple more minutes until the other side is nice and brown and dust a little cayenne pepper before it cools down. Eat!

I served my sweet corn and cheddar cheese polenta cakes with an iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, red onion, matchstick carrots salad drizzled with a sweet and spicy peppercorn and Vidallia onion dressing. Oh, and some green tea. Hee hee. The fried corn cakes make it a satisfying, without weighing you down. The addition of cayenne matches well with the sweetness from the corn and gets cooled down with the carrots and the creamy dressing. Quick and tasty lunch!

Look forward to leftovers!

~Spec

This entry was posted on Friday, January 27th, 2006 at 5:02 am and is filed under Cheap [and GOOD] Eats, Cooking Culture, Cuisine, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.