is it polenta, or just mush?

Cornmeal, water, salt.

It just doesn't get any more basic than that.  But what a starting place.  Due to my recent illness that has make it hard to chew and swallow, I have been beefing up my repertoire of invalid-friendly foods and mush (or polenta, as you foodies call it) seemed to fit the bill nicely.

Nothing could be simpler to make.  Bring water to a boil, add salt, stir over medium heat for one minute, turn heat to low for 4 more minutes.  Remove from heat.

At this point, you can eat it warm and soft (which is great), but we mostly spread it out in a baking dish and let it cool, then chill in the fridge.  Cut out a square, dust with flour, and fry to crispy goodness.  I think ghee/clarified butter works best here.  I cook over medium heat to start so it gets warm all the way through, then finish it on high so it gets super crispy on the outside.  You can put nearly anything sweet or savory on it when it gets hot.  It makes a killer entree with marinara sauce and is an awesome downhome comfort dessert with a glob of grape or blackberry jelly on it.  You can also grill on the BBQ if you use a bit of caution.


The mush in the picture has been crisped up as described above, the pan wiped out and some heavy cream and maple syrup added to the pan and reduced to the sauce consistency.  This, my friends, is a Cornpone Cadillac of flavors.

The Mush:
3 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup yellow corn meal
Bring water to a boil, stir in salt, stir in corn meal.  Cook one minute over medium heat stirring constantly.  Cover pan with tight fitting lid, turn heat to as low as it will go on your stove, cook four more minutes.  Pour into a 8 inch (or 9 inch) square baking dish sprayed with pan spray and chill.
Cut out squares to dust in flour and fry.  For total decadence, deep fry.

Green Bean Harvest

The first harvest of the 2011 green bean crop has been completed.  We expect great things to follow as the little plants have lots of little beans on them.

today's garden booty

Fresh peas and beets - stay tuned for what finished dishes they will turn out to be.

biscuits and groovy

Nothing like a hearty stick to your ribs breakfast before retreating to the air conditioned mancave to wait out the heat of the day.

Biscuits

Gravy

Biscuits and Gravy

Bing Cherry Cake

Fresh cherries are in at the Farmer's Market.  While eating them right off the stem is awesome, there are lots of things you can do with them.  Here is a super-easy cherry cake that you can make in the time the oven preheats.

Fresh Bing Cherry Cake with Nutella Frosting

@ ½ pound fresh bing cherries  (split, pit and reserve)

@ ¼ cup a.p. flour, reserved

Cake:

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ lb (1 stick) + 1 Tbsp butter, melted

1¼ cups a.p. flour

1½ tsp baking powder

Frosting:

One 13 oz jar, Nutella (cocoa/hazelnut spread)

1 cup sour cream

(note: the grocery store brand of cocoa/hazelnut spread works just fine – I use the Kroger brand for this)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by greasing and flouring.  Line bottoms with parchment rounds if desired. 

 

3. Make the cake batter:

Sift the flour and the baking powder together and reserve.

With a hand mixer, mix the eggs and the granulated sugar until they are light and fluffy.  Add the melted butter and mix in thoroughly.  Add the mixed flour and baking powder and blend well.

4. Toss the cherries from the top of the recipe with the ¼ cup flour and fold into the cake batter.  Split the batter between the two pans and bake for about 25 minutes in the preheated oven.  The cakes are done when they are lightly browned and they are just beginning to pull away from the sides of the baking pans.  Cool completely before frosting.

5. Prepare the frosting:

Put the sour cream in a mixing bowl and soften with a hand mixer.  Add the hazelnut spread and mix completely. 

Put a cake layer on a plate, cover top with half of the frosting, top with second layer and repeat.

(Adapted from a recipe at www.luculliandelights.com)

ablt

A BLT indeed.  Fresh bread from the market, local organic pork.  A bit of avocado for lusciousness.  A perfect lunch after a bike to the market.  (and some Noosa yogurt for dessert - Peach is the special flavor of the day).

taters

I planted potatoes in the back yard in a pot.  I just put a bit of dirt in the bottom and as the potatoes grew, I added more dirt.  Now they are overflowing the pot, potato madness.  To harvest them, all we will have to do is tip over the pot.  If it works well, I'm doing two pots next year, or three.

sweet taters

Fabulous side dish from the 4th of July dinner.

Super easy (if you can make hollandaise).  It is extra great because it takes something inherently healthy, steamed sweet potatoes, and makes it fabulously unhealthy.  Take your steamed sweet potatoes and top them with tarragon and hollandaise.

what's in my kitchen, part 2

My stove is a mediocre Fridgidaire gas range. Gas is nice, but my old electric stove got hotter and the best stove I ever owned was an electric range with two dual ring burners and a convection oven. The best microwave I ever owned was a Montgomery Ward brand that had microwave, convection, and combination settings. Man, I miss that one.  I think my ex-wife is still using it.

 

I like my Kitchen-Aid mixer, 20 years old and still ticking. But could I live without it?  Yep. (Mine is the bigger one with the drop down bowl.  If I ever replace it, I'm going with the smaller one.  The tilting head is more convenient than the drop-bowl.)  I am partial to my Kitchen-Aid hand mixer, which can make chocolate chip cookie dough with out burning up. Oh, and my Kitchen-Aid blender is the best blender I have ever owned. (Getting sick of the Kitchen-Aid ad yet? Sorry, but they make stuff that works and lasts.) My food processor? I use it twice a year, maybe three times - could probably borrow the neighbors when I need it.

 

I need very few gadgets. The only odd thing I have that is quite useful is a canning funnel. Can't live without it in canning season. A whisk, some measuring cups and spoons, a couple of heat resistant rubber scrappers. Pretty low key.