polenta or the taste of home

Polenta is the taste of home, the taste of homemade food. It’s the food my grandmother made when I asked her “am I dying?” which I asked all the time whenever I fell ill when I was little. Polenta is this soft cornmeal packed in the form of a baguette. But the polenta I grew up with was made from scratch. Polenta was corn on the cob, dried – its kernels flicked out of its grooves. Polenta was the sound of kernels ground down in the tall mortar. It was the food that was cheapest to buy and so it saw more action than anything else in the kitchen.

I ate vast quantities of  hot cornmeal  topped with fresh cut tomato and black beans in my youth. This may be why I never went looking for it when I started cooking for myself.  Also it takes a  long while to boil the cornmeal.

But now in my quest to diversify my food sources – eat more vegetables, more grains and less fish and meat -I’m going back to cornmeal via polenta. Since polenta comes pre-cooked, I can make a decent meal in about 30 minutes.

This week  I cooked this sumptuous dish, here displayed, for lunch.  {I’m lucky like that. Sometimes I work week-ends so then I get a random day off in the middle of week and I can indulge in a mid-week slow-down when everyone has to jump over the Hump.}  

You’re famished and want to share some polentawith me? Get a ration of ground meat, lemon, salt, celery, and your favorite herbs.

• Season your ration of meat with salt, lemon zest, chopped celery and your favorite sampling of herbs. I usually have a small plant of thyme or rosemary in my apartment.  You can also buy them fresh at grocery stores like Whole Foods.
• Add red peppers because colorful food is better for you.
• Pre-heat oven at 350-375 C and lightly grease a  non-stick pan. Meanwhile leave your ration of polenta in a small pot to soften on a  medium fire.
• With a a non-stick spatula , spread out the first layer of polenta  in the pan.  Alternate meat and polenta layers until you’ve put everything in.
• Cook in oven for 15 minutes. Then, while the pot is still fiery-hot sprinkle Parmasan cheese on top.

Bon Appetit!