"Crazy Polenta"

 

While in a mood to make a meal that was different, yet comforting, and using ingredients on hand a while ago, my wife and I embarked on a bit of an adventure.  My wife is not one to feel particularly "creative" in terms of making up meals.... she is far more of a precise cook who follows a given recipe to the letter.    I, on the other-hand, have never seen or used a recipe that I did not modify is some form or fashion.  

So, in the meal I am about to describe, my role was a dual one.  I ended up being the "creative force" (in other words, I made up the recipe) and was an "assistant". My wife was the primary chef.  My "assistant" role  was in creating the spice profile for the dish and in cutting up some of the components to assist my wife as she prepared the food.  

What we made was something I have now named "Crazy Polenta".  In the photo above you see traditional polenta, which is a sort of "corn porridge" and is very tasty.  But, my vision was something a bit different.  When my wife made the polenta, I had her add a bit more corn meal than typically called for, and a bit less moisture.  And, I added into the corn meal a variety of spices.... curry, allspice, ginger, fresh basil, a bit of honey, pepper, and salt.  We then poured the mixture into a baking pan (basically one of our cake pans) and baked it in the oven until the polenta had set to a firm texture and was slightly browned on the surface.  

Next, using the onions and green peppers I had sliced thinly, my wife put those on a parchment lined cookie sheet to roast until there were plenty of brown edges of caramelization on the vegetables.  

Next, I found a jar of prepared Alfredo Sauce in the pantry, and warmed it and added slices of sauteed mushrooms we had in the refrigerator from a few days before

We then cut the polenta into pleasant sized squares, put a heaping level of the caramelized vegetables on top, covered with a bit of the Alfredo/mushroom sauce, and sprinkled a bit of parmesan cheese on top.  

We had steamed broccoli, and some mixed vegetables with it, and of course a humongous salad.  

We both really enjoyed the dish and the meal quite a bit!

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 Small addendum regarding yesterday's "Reunion" post about the high school reunion I had attended several years ago.  When the "prizes" were awarded, one of the other humorous aspects was that when a person received a prize, as they came up, someone in the reunion team had obtained photos of the recipients and with each prize, they had on one side a photo of the person from the high school year book, and another photo of them in the current day.  It seems the person who created the presentation had contacted a significant other for the prize winner to get the current day image.  My wife later had told me she was asked to submit the photo of me.  She selected a head shot photo of me in almost the same pose as my high school yearbook photo. The major difference was that I had on one of my tweedy snap-brimmed hats and had a pipe clenched in my teeth. 

PipeTobacco