We Call It Maize

So, during the aforementioned conversation with my boy Matty, I had already decided on centering a main dish around polenta and was mulling over what to do with all the inevitable leftovers the next day. We must have been talking about our favorite topic, bacon, because what I came up with set both our mouths to watering and our eyes to tearing:

Huevos rancheros on polenta - a recipe by Blog O. Food

4 dried Ancho chilies Water 1 clove garlic 2 whole allspice corns, crushed 2 black peppercorns, crushed ½ tsp salt 1 Tbsp olive oil Polenta, firmed and cut into 4" squares 2 large eggs 1 tsp distilled vinegar

Matty and I are sauce men. Salsa is fine for chips, but a good sauce, expertly turned out, can make grown men swoon - these two men, anyway. So instead of tomatoes, I opted for a Mexican red sauce to soak into the polenta and top my eggs.

Before starting the sauce, brush leftover polenta with a little olive oil and place in a pre-heated 350° oven and bake for 20 minutes. Cut the baked polenta into desired shapes.

The sauce:

Heat Ancho chilies for 30-45 seconds in a hot, dry skillet to release some of the oils and intensify the flavors. Turn them several times. You're not really toasting the chilies, which can turn bitter very quickly, but rather coaxing out some of the flavor. Steep the heated chilies in a small sauce pan with just enough slow boiling water to cover. Simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer the chilies and 1½ cups of the liquid to a food processor along with the garlic, crushed allspice & peppercorns and salt. Purée for several minutes until the sauce is completely smooth. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Run the sauce through a sieve and back into the saucepan. Add the olive oil and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and use immediately, or transfer to a glass jar. The sauce will keep, refrigerated, for one week.

While the sauce simmers, poach 2 eggs in a shallow pan of just barely boiling water. You want only enough water to cover the eggs once they're placed in the pan. I was always told to add a splash of distilled vinegar to the water. It's supposed to help the eggs retain their shape. I don't know where I first heard this, but it seems to work, so I have not investigated the method any further. Poach eggs for 3 minutes and remove from their bath with a slotted spoon.

Place pieces of baked polenta on a serving dish, top with poached eggs and drizzle with the red sauce. I was gonna crisp up slices of pancetta, but feared straying too far from my Mexican roots. I went with thick-cut bacon instead.

Red sauce is complex and intense. You can remove the seeds and membranes from the dried chilies before you toast them. Most of the heat is locked in there. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling dried chilies, and never, ever touch your eyes, nose or mouth without doing so first. The allspice and peppercorns add more layers of flavor. Whole cumin and clove are also sometimes used. Traditionally, eggs are fried for this dish, but I've always loved a good poached egg, and my doctor loves my heart-healthy ways!

Back in 1998 I was in the middle of a cross-country road trip along Interstate 10. I was headed to San Diego for three months, escaping the summer heat of Miami, FL. One early morning, deep, deep in Texas territory, I answered my rumbling stomach in Sonora, where I stumbled upon the best huevos rancheros I have ever eaten. Fresh, homemade corn tortillas, double-thick slices of bacon, eggs and refried beans cooked in alarming amounts of bacon fat, and chili sauce a crimson color Harvard would be envious of. It was such a memorable breakfast, that I have never forgotten the name of the place: Mi Familia Restaurant 605 S. Crockett Avenue Sonora, TX 76950 (325) 387-2940 I'll bet I could drive there blindfolded even to this day.

I don't know if polenta will ever take the place of corn tortillas in huevos rancheros, I'm not convinced it really should. But now you have one more resourceful way to serve up leftovers without compromising your principles or offending your Italian and Mexican neighbors!

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food

Wednesday: the New Sunday

What does one do with all that leftover polenta? Don't even think about opening the microwave door. The only reason to even approach that accursed machine is to pick it up and toss it from a 14-story window. Nope, lay out the polenta on a cutting slab and use a thin wire or filament (I use dental floss!), cut it into 2-inch squares and bake in a 275° oven for 20 minutes. Then take whatever's on hand and make a spread: mushrooms, olives, capers, anchovies, gherkins, whatever.

I had some sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies and some herbs that I chopped and tossed with some olive oil, salt and ground white pepper. It was salty, tangy, fruity, herbally and delicious.

Five minutes before I took the polenta out of the oven, I sprinkled the wedges with some leftover grated parmesan cheese because I was feeling randy. I ate the entire plate in front of the television watching baseball, and then sat rubbing my belling into the 6th inning.

I did everything short of licking the plate, including running my finger through the salt and crusty parmesan cheese. It was the third glass of wine that emboldened me. What of the leftover scallops, you say? They never made it beyond lunch.

Buon appetito - Blog O. Food

Shortcut to Penance

I have felt such the fraud all week. Posting hobby photos on a food blog! What was I thinking? I'm better than that, and you, my loyal readers, deserve better. So, even though it's a Wednesday, and I haven't had a day off since Easter, I rifled through the kitchen last night looking for something worthy of You Gonna Finish That?. I think you'll be pleased with what I was able to pull together in under an hour.

Scrounging through your cupboards can lead to some very rewarding discoveries. I just wasn't in the mood for anything last night until I pushed aside canisters of all-purpose and almond flours. There, tucked in the shadows, was my old friend polenta. I went the whole winter without a single dollop of "Italian grits". I simply couldn't believe it, and aimed to remedy that oversight posthaste. In the freezer were some scallops from Trader Joe's, shallots and garlic in what passes for my root cellar (bottom cupboard, wicker basket), a little Pinot Grigio from the night before... and just like that, voila, a menu!

Polenta with sea scallops in white wine and shallots

4 cups chicken stock 1 cup polenta 1 tsp salt 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 4 Tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated 16 oz sea scallops, fresh or frozen (thawed) Salt & pepper to taste 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 2 shallots, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped 1 cup dry white wine

Start by slowly whisking polenta into 2 cups chicken stock in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

Gradually whisk the remaining stock into the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring briskly periodically. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes until polenta is moist and creamy.

After 30 minutes, remove polenta from heat and whip in parmesan cheese and 2 Tbsp butter for a silky finish.

Meanwhile, rinse thawed scallops in a colander under cool water. Pat dry with paper towels and season with salt & pepper.

Sauté in 2 Tbsp of melted butter over medium-high heat for 6 minutes.

Flip scallops and cook for two more minutes. Remove scallops to a warm platter and keep covered loosely. Add shallots to sauté pan and cook for 2 minutes, add garlic and cook for another minute. Add white wine & herbs and de-glaze the pan, letting the sauce reduce by one quarter.

Pour finished polenta into the middle of a serving platter and pile on the sautéed scallops. Top with the shallot and wine sauce and serve immediately.

Sweet, tender scallops. Salty, tangy polenta. Rich, sinful sauce. Start to finish: 51 minutes. And to think, I had takeout menus in my hand just an hour before. I'll never complain about having nothing to eat ever again.

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food

Manly Men Doing Manly Things

There are two things my father and I do when I pay a visit: golf and cook. Well, we eat too, so better make that three things. Usually, I can't get an elbow in the kitchen when Dad's around, but lately he's relinquished his apron and wooden spoon. I still defer to the master, however. Last visit I managed two whole dinners under his watchful eye. The first wasn't much, just a 4-alarm, three-meat chili with cornbread. Pop loves cornbread. The second, however, was a real winner; my version of chicken cacciatore served over parmesan polenta. Dad was hooked. Cacciatore is a "hunter" style dish with a tomato, onion, mushroom and herb base. There are lots of variations based mainly on what happens to be in your larder at any given moment. Don't be afraid to experiment. The key is to marry flavors in a hearty and satisfying way.

Chicken cacciatore

4lbs fryer chicken legs and thighs 1 cup flour 2 eggs 1 cup milk 4Tbs extra virgin olive oil 1 medium yellow onion 1½ cups baby portabella mushrooms 4 cloves garlic 2Tbs capers 4 anchovy filets 1 large can crushed tomatoes 1½ cups dry white wine 2½ cups chicken stock 2 bay leaves Salt and pepper Parmesan Polenta 1 cup polenta (yellow corn meal) 4 cups chicken stock 4 strips thick cut smoky bacon ½ cup grated fresh Parmigiano Reggiano cheese 4Tbs unsalted butter, cubed

It's best to get all your prep work out of the way first so that you can have a smooth-running assembly line once you begin browning your chicken and bacon. Place the bacon in the freezer while you're chopping the rest of your vegetables. This will make it easier to cube later. Brush off the mushrooms to remove loose soil, de-stem, halve the smaller caps and quarter the larger ones. Halve the onion and give a medium slice. Set up a dredging station with one large shallow bowl for flour seasoned with salt and pepper, and another for the eggs whisked into the milk. Remove the bacon from the freezer after about 10 minutes, make thin slices length-wise down each piece (about ¼" wide). Cube each slice at ¼" and brown in a small skillet over medium heat.

While bacon is browning, sop chicken pieces in egg wash, then dredge through the flour, shaking off excess. Arrange chicken pieces in a Dutch oven pre-heated with oil over medium-high heat. Keep some space between chicken pieces. If your Dutch oven is not big enough to accommodate all the chicken, cook in batches. Brown chicken on both sides (8-10 minutes per side), remove from pot and set aside. Remove browned bacon from skillet and set aside as well.

Add bay leaves, capers and anchovy to the bottom of the Dutch oven and heat through until the filets dissolve. Add onion and garlic and let sweat until translucent. Toss in mushrooms and begin to brown until most of the moisture has evaporated from the caps. Pour in the crushed tomatoes heat through and then nestle the browned chicken into the bottom of the pot. Add the wine and chicken stock. You want just enough liquid to come up to the top of the chicken, but it should not be swimming in sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover Dutch oven and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken meat begins to fall off the bone. Remove from heat and allow to set while covered.

While the chicken simmers, slowly pour polenta into a large sauce pan of boiling chicken broth, whisking constantly until all the corn meal is added. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to stir polenta regularly, making sure to scrape the corners of your sauce pan to prevent burning. After about 25 minutes the corn meal should have thickened considerably and much of the moisture reduced. Remove polenta from heat and stir in the bacon, add the grated cheese and incorporate thoroughly. Just before serving, stir in the butter a few pieces at a time to add a silkiness to your polenta. I do not salt my polenta. The cheese should have plenty of saltiness to it, but you should taste the polenta before serving and adjust the seasoning.

Ladle a healthy portion of polenta into a shallow bowl. Spoon chicken and sauce over the top. Garnish with some shaved Parmigiano cheese and serve. Serves four with plenty left over for the next day's lunch when the sauce will be even richer and more powerful.

Polenta is just a finer grind of cornmeal. Like grits uptown, I guess you could say. Pour any leftover grits into a small, square baking pan, cover and refrigerate. The next day, you can cut up and fry polenta squares to serve with breakfast, or bake the whole pan, cutting the finished polenta into wedges and serving as a side with dinner. Polenta is just amazingly versatile.

This dish will have rich earthy flavors from the mushrooms and tomatoes, tender chicken and a fresh, almost lemony lightness from the wine, bay leaves and capers. The polenta adds a sweet bass note from the corn and a salty textured feel from the bacon and cheese. Pinot noirs and Beaujolais compliment this dish perfectly. If people don't go for seconds with this one, I'll give you your money back.

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food