Something happened last night that has never happened before. I improvised a recipe – and it kinda worked! I have always been the type of home cook who follows recipes, making changes here and there to tailor dishes to my palate. I cook this way because I have to. Up until very recently, if I went off book it spelled disaster. (I'm not being modest. Actual gong shows have occurred and were then plated and served to unsuspecting family and friends.) Anyway, for years now, I have accepted the fact that in the kitchen I must do as I'm told. The backbone of what I cook must come from someone else.
Not to make too big a deal out of this (watch me do it anyway), but lately something has shifted. I've been trying new things and the wheels aren't coming off the bus. Maybe it's that I've been shopping more at local, outdoor markets and really focusing on gathering exquisite ingredients and pondering how these flavours and textures could play off each other. Maybe it's that I have spent years in the kitchen and all those hours of experience are finally starting to mean something. Maybe it's that I own a ridiculous number of cookbooks and spend a good portion of my time studying them. (Osmosis, anyone?) Who knows what exactly it is, but the point is that I came up with a new dish tonight. And it actually tasted halfway decent.
I started by following the instructions on the package of corn grits and then let a combination of what I was craving and what was in my fridge guide me from there. When I sat down to eat, I felt unbelievably amped. Like a cross between Jay-Z (best rapper alive) and Martha Stewart (if she was slightly more emotive). As for the below, you're welcome.
Breakthrough polenta
Serves 2 (with leftover plain polenta for lunches)
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup organic corn grits
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 small red onion, diced
3 fresh shiitake mushrooms
1/2 mildly spicy smoked sausage, sliced
1 cup frozen fava or edamame beans, cooked according to instructions on package
1/3 cup good quality pesto
1 teaspoon of flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1. Set a large saucepan of water on medium heat, add salt. When the water is boiling, pour in the corn grits and stir, almost continuously, until polenta is very thick (about 25-30 minutes). If polenta gets lumpy or too thick, whisk vigorously and add hot water until consistency is creamy and smooth.
2. In the meantime, pour oil in frying pan and set over medium heat. When hot, add diced onion.
3. When onions are translucent, add mushroom and sausage.
4. When mushrooms and sausage have browned, add edamame or fava beans and allow flavours to mingle for 2 minutes.
5. When polenta is done, stir in parmesan and butter.
6. To plate, create a bed of polenta and top with onions, sausage, mushrooms and beans. Drizzle pesto on dish and garnish with parsley. Feel inordinately pleased with yourself and immediately text your foodie friends with photos.
