Adventures in Polenta-land

So in my quest for better health of course I've tried to make changes to our diet.  My husband and I are completely different builds.  I can eat the whole cookie jar and gain maybe a pound and if he happens to walk by it, pounds enter his body by osmosis or radiation.  I know, though, that the worst damage is inside.  I'm not exercising to get a thigh gap but to prevent a heart attack brought on by one too many bacon cheeseburgers and being a type A super-stressed maniac.  I mean, hey, I'm not gonna complain if a thigh gap just happens to show up after all this working out but if I have muscle instead, I'll take that. 

We've been helped a lot by our lack of extra money.  Eating out happens very rarely.  My husband is trying to take more lunches from home.  The kids eat most of the leftovers though!  I'm refusing to fry anything even though I luuuuuv fried chicken.  My newest challenge may be finding cheap, gluten-free alternatives for my husband to eat.  I have never really had a problem with it but we're thinking it affects him a lot.  Just experimenting so far.  But I also know that I feel horrible after eating things that are low in fiber like rice.  Not to mention all the things that change in the headlines every day about what will and won't kill us. 

Which is why I decided to make polenta tonight.  Here is the original recipe I used.  It's from Lidia Bastianich on PBS.  I had to make a half recipe once I realized how little corn meal I actually had.  I tweaked it a little too.  I added about a teaspoon of garlic pepper and just enough pepper to know it was in there.  Maybe a 1/4 a teaspoon.  I also added half a cup of parmesan cheese because if there's one thing that will make a new recipe gain approval, it's adding cheese!

Polenta

4 cups water, or use half milk for a richer taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1½ cups coarse yellow cornmeal

In a medium cast-iron saucepan or other heavy pot, bring all ingredients except cornmeal to simmer over medium heat.

Very slowly, begin to sift corn meal into the pan through the fingers of one hand, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk. (This operation will be greatly facilitated if the meal is scooped by the handful from a wide bowl.)

Gradually sift remaining meal into the pan, continue to stir, and reduce heat to medium low. Continue to stir until the polenta is smooth and thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan as it is stirred, about 30 minutes.

Discard bay leaf, pour polenta into a serving bowl or onto a wooden board, and allow it to rest 10 minutes. To serve from the bowl, dip a large spoon into hot water and scoop the polenta onto individual dishes, dipping the spoon into the water between scoops. To serve from the board, cut polenta into segments with a thin, taut string or knife and transfer to plates with a spatula or cake server.

 

Now usually I study recipes.  It's like reading a book and then taking a test.  But really, how hard could polenta be?  It's water, cornmeal, go.  The ingredients are simple.  The one thing is, I didn't read all the way through.  See that part where it says stir for 30 minutes?  Yeah, don't miss that part.  I thought I had the recipe memorized but for some reason the number 30 kept popping in my head.  Looking back at the recipe I cried an audible "What!?"  You mean I'm really supposed to stand here for 30 minutes and stir this thing that is rapidly turning into concrete while my children scream at me that I am starving them to death?  My husband is going to be home any minute and all I have to give him is tomato sauce!  And I can't even switch arms.  My left arm is so gimpy I can't do much with it but hold children in one place while I wipe their faces. 

 

So in addition to the sauce bubbling everywhere and my forearm cramping up and my children ramping up, I'm trying to google "how long do I have to stir polenta" hoping against hope that it's some sort of typo.  Alas, it is not.  I'm failing this test.  And my kids are letting me know.  Oh sure, there are no-stir polenta recipes but no, I didn't pick one of those, did I?  No, I had to go and be all authentic. 

 

See, polenta is actually a good Italian alternative to pasta.  Beans too.  I was trying to be gluten-free in a way we could actually afford.  Sigh. 

 

I plopped a spoonful on each plate followed by a dollop of sauce.  The sauce was awesome, I might add.  Made it from a can of crushed tomatoes.  All by myself.  I didn't take a picture because I couldn't find my phone and by that time I didn't even care. 

 

My husband said it could be good with more work.  I didn't choke him because at least he tried it and didn't spit it out.  None of the kids liked it.  My four-year-old ate four bites because he was four.  Not even Aria would eat it.  She's my little garbage disposal.  Needless to say, I should have taken another run cuz momma's full of polenta.  It was good enough to eat and good sauce covers a multitude of food sins.