Pass the Polenta Please

Polenta, Broccoli, and BBQ chicken (recipe to follow)

Polenta. It's something I've seen in magazines but by just looking at it, I couldn't really tell what exactly polenta was. Fast-forward to cooking for a 14-month old who no longer wants to be fed by Mom and Dad, but wants to eat his entire dinner himself (I guess soup's off the menu for now). This recipe is great because it can be eaten hot, warm, or cold. You can make the pieces as big or as small as you'd like. You can also add different spices to change the flavour to better coordinate with dish you are serving with it. I also like it because it's easy to make, and it's a very inexpensive side dish that uses ingredients that I already had at home.  If you have older children at home, they can also help to make it!

Ingredients

½ cup cold water

½ cup yellow cornmeal

1⅓ cup water

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking pan or dish. 

 

Stir cornmeal and ½ cup cold water in a medium bowl until blended to a thick paste.

In a large saucepan, bring 1⅓ cup water and the salt to a boil. Stir in the cornmeal paste and return to a boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the polenta thickens enough to hold the trail of a spoon, 5 to 10 minutes. (It should resemble soft mashed potatoes.)

Remove polenta from heat and add the butter and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, stirring until the butter is melted.

Working quickly, pour the polenta into the prepared baking pan and spread it evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan.









Let it cool, then cover pan and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until the polenta is chilled through and firm.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Press small cookie cutters into the pan of chilled polenta to cut out shapes.  Or, use a knife to cut bars/strips. Use spatula to transfer the shapes to a lightly oiled nonstick baking pan. 

With a pastry or basting brush, paint the top and sides of each shape with the olive oil. 







Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the polenta shapes are lightly browned, crispy around the edges, and soft inside. Serve warm.

My initial recipe said to use shapes which I did try once, but I found that there was too much waste and the Little Man doesn’t really care what shape his food is right now. Once he’s older, fun shapes might be appreciated more, but for now, polenta bars are what we serve.

You can get your children involved in this recipe too. Let them help to measure out the polenta (tip: put the measuring cup on a cookie sheet to catch the spill over and reduce waste), have them help to sprinkle the Parmesan cheese, let them use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes.  Children who spend time in the kitchen and help cook are less likely to be picky eaters, and will be more aware of how to pick healthy choices.

You can dip the polenta into anything really, marinara or pizza sauce is our favourite. You can also change up the flavour by adding different herbs when you’re cooking it. What flavours have you tried?

Cheese, Peas, Prosciutto...Oh My!

              Pasta and cheese just seem to go together like two peas in a pod. However, you don't always want, or need, to get that cheesy pasta fix from a blue box (seriously, is it just me or is that little blue box with only 1.5 servings getting more and more expensive?). Why not make a homemade mac and cheese, or dare I say, mac and 4 cheese? The pasta cheese pea pod is only made a little cozier by tossing in some actual peas and delicious prosciutto.

Here's what you need

4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup milk or cream
1 tbsp sea salt
1 box of Farfalle (bow tie) pasta
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/4 cup grated Havarti or Fontina cheese
1/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1 package Prosciutto, diced
1 cup green peas (frozen or fresh, but not canned)
1/2 tsp Black Pepper


* Prep all your ingredients before you start*


1. Fill a large pot with water, add a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.

2. Cook pasta for the appropriate length of time for 'al dente' (take a look at the box).






3. Saute the butter in a large frying pan (at least a 12").

4. Add the milk/cream.











5. Once the cream is heated add a few tablespoons to your egg yolks and whisk. This will temper your eggs. If you don't do this then you will scramble your eggs when you add them to the pasta.









6. Drain the pasta when it's finished cooking. and add it to the cream/butter mixture.
















7. Add the tempered egg yolks, all cheeses, and the pepper. Stir well.

8. Add the prosciutto and the peas stirring well after each addition.

















9. Cook and stir for a few minutes until all the pasta is coated in a nice gooey cheese mixture.








            This makes a lot of pasta, about 6-8 servings, so be prepared for leftovers or to feed everyone you know. We do find that it improves as the week goes on though. You could mix and match cheeses, asiago is a little sharp, so I found that the Havarti softens the flavour (and I couldn't find Fontina in the grocery store).

                                                                                                                                    Enjoy!
                                                                                                                                          Mel