Ancient Grains for Modern Meals - Maria Speck [64]
Some sun-dried tomatoes are very salty—try a small piece—reduce the salt to ¼ teaspoon, and then adjust to taste after cooking. Kitchen shears come in handy to snip tough sun-dried tomatoes into pieces. For notes on cooking polenta, see the sidebar. SERVES 4 TO 6
POLENTA
4 cups water
½ cup coarsely chopped dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup polenta, corn grits, or stone-ground coarse cornmeal
TO FINISH
1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
½ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup cubed fontina (2 ounces)
2 ounces shaved Parmesan cheese (about ½ cup)
1 To make the polenta, bring the water and sun-dried tomatoes to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the salt. Using a large whisk, slowly add the polenta in a thin stream, and continue whisking for 1 more minute. Decrease the heat to maintain a gentle bubble. Cover and cook until the polenta granules swell and become tender, about 25 minutes (30 minutes for coarse cornmeal), stirring vigorously every few minutes with a wooden spoon to keep the polenta from sticking to the bottom. Taste and adjust for salt.
2 To finish, stir in the thyme, sage, and pepper, followed by the fontina cheese. Cover and let sit for 2 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Top with the shaved Parmesan cheese and serve right away.
TO GET A HEAD START: In a hurry, instant or quick-cooking polenta or grits will do, but they don’t bring the same flavor and texture to the dish.
TO VARY IT: In the United States, I have learned to appreciate the stunning varieties of chiles. On occasion, I will drop a whole dried or fresh habanero chile into my polenta for its intense fruitiness. Be sure to remove the chile before serving—habaneros are some of the hottest chiles on the planet. Don’t even contemplate adding one if serving the polenta to children.
ON COOKING POLENTA
Italian polenta has the reputation of being hard to cook. Nothing could be further from the truth. All it needs is a good stir once in a while. Admittedly, sometimes this can be a long while, depending on which kind you are cooking. With most polenta or corn grits, the granules are nice and plump when cooked for about 25 minutes (see above), but frankly, when I’m hungry I dig in after 15 minutes. On the other hand, certain kinds of coarse stone-ground polenta from specialty mills take longer to develop their alluring texture and mouthfeel. But once you try them, you might never go back to everyday polenta (see more).
The more water, broth, or milk you add, the more billowy-soft your polenta will become. Some people like their polenta softer; I like mine a bit firmer. This means you can adapt the recipes to your liking, and you should.
What I like best about polenta is that leftovers can be deliciously resurrected. Just spread any remaining polenta into an oiled casserole dish or onto a rimmed baking sheet, about ½ to ¾ inch thick (or thicker if you like). Allow to firm up at room temperature and then chill, covered with plastic wrap. For your next meal, cut the firm polenta into triangles or rectangular pieces and pan-fry them in olive oil or butter until golden on both sides. Or oven-bake the polenta pieces, topped just with a bit of butter, or sprinkled with herbs and cheese for a new mouthwatering side.
Corn: Comforting and Uplifting
No grain stirs as much passion in the American soul as corn. Native to the Americas, corn was sacred to the Aztecs and the Maya. The plant reached Europe, and eventually the rest of the globe, only in the early sixteenth century. Its mythical stature inspires Americans to this day—be it as a craving for comforting golden cornbread, a hunger for the light-colored soft clouds of grits, or a love for the crunch of popcorn.
Corn,