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?

Stuff a Pepper in it....

      People know how to stuff turkeys and their faces, but most forget that you can stuff other items as well. I've stuffed pork chops (so delicious), chicken (like a turkey right?), and peppers (full of meaty tomato-ness).

       I can understand the apprehension that faces people when the prospect of stuffing something is presented to them. It appears to be a time consuming task, and that ever present fear of "what happens if it bursts? falls over? splits? doesn't taste good?". Stuffed foods can seem fancy and may seem like something that is outside of your skill set, but it doesn't have to be. This is, by far, the easiest stuffed pepper recipe ever. When I was looking for a good recipe, I found some with about 17 steps where you had to blanch the peppers and line them in such a way that you would burn your hands. I wasn't looking for a recipe where injury was certain (I like to keep it a surprise).

So, here's what you need:
1 lbs ground beef or pork (I used pork)
1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice (I used brown)
1 cup water
6 green bell peppers - Make sure you choose ones that are stable when set on their 'lobes'
2 - 8oz cans tomato sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
1 small onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Italian seasoning (equal parts basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme)
slices of Mozzarella cheese


1. Start by preheating your oven to 350°F.

2. Place the rice and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 20 minutes (or just make rice in rice cooker according to instructions)

3. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the meat until evenly browned.

4. Cut off the tops of the peppers and discard the seed, stem and membrane. Cut up the top and toss in with the meat. Arrange peppers in a baking dish with the hollowed sides facing upward.

5. In a bowl, mix the browned meat, cooked rice, 1 can of tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each hollowed pepper.

6. Mix the remaining tomato sauce and Italian seasonings in a bowl and pour over the stuffed peppers.

7. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, basting with sauce every 15 minutes, until the peppers are tender.








8. Arrange mozzarella slices over cooked stuffed peppers and return to oven to melt.

           This is a great recipe because you could do all the prep work earlier in the day, stuff the peppers and have them ready to toss in the oven as your guests arrive. You'll have them all fooled that you've been slaving in the kitchen all day to prepare such an exquisite meal.

          You could try different combinations of cheeses, herbs, sauces. One unique stuffed pepper I saw was to use roast beef (in place of ground meat), BBQ sauce, and provolone cheese to make a phili-cheese steak pepper. I might try that one next.

Enjoy!

Mel