Versatile ingredients: polenta

I was poking through my now defunct food blog, Thought for Food, when I came across a post that I thought deserved updating and revision...

Though I consider cooking to be one of the great pleasures in life (right below eating), I am not immune to the challenges of finding motivation to spend an hour or more in the kitchen after a full work day. The fact that my office is a mere staircase away from my kitchen doesn't seem to be much help either.

What does help, though, is having a few versatile pantry ingredients that can be easily paired with anything that happens to be in the fridge. An often overlooked favorite of mine is polenta. This mixture of cornmeal, water or stock and salt can be ready in 15 minutes and paired with everything from spicy Mexican flavors to mellow Mediterranean flavors and everything in between.

There is a lot of flexibility in the basic recipe for polenta, largely depending on how soon you want to eat. To serve two people in 15 minutes, bring 1 1/2 cups water, stock or a combination of the two (you could even use a combination of milk and water for a creamier polenta) to a boil. Whisk in 1/3 of a cup of polenta slowly - if you pour it in too quickly, your cornmeal will clump and you'll be left with a truly inedible mess. Whisk in salt and pepper to taste, along with any other seasonings you like, such as garlic or cayenne pepper. Reduce heat and stir frequently until it thickens to your liking; I prefer my polenta fairly thick, much like a hearty oatmeal.

Now, while the above recipe works well, if you have the extra time, you can achieve a much creamier texture by starting with more liquid, say 4 cups or water and/or stock. Again, whisk in the cornmeal once the liquid comes to a boil and turn the heat to low. Stir frequently. If the polenta thickens before you're ready to serve, whisk in more liquid (preferably warm liquid) and keep going - you can keep a pot of polenta on the stove for most of the day if you're vigilant about stirring every 15 minutes or so, and adding liquid as needed. The cornmeal grains will absorb the liquid and plump, leaving you with a smooth texture, as compared to the more grits-like texture of the quick recipe.

Once you have your basic polenta recipe made, you can top it with just about anything you have available.

For a Mexican twist, spread the polenta in a baking dish and top with taco meat (leftovers work great here) and Jack or Colby cheese, then bake in a 350 degree oven until the cheese melts, about 15 minutes. Serve with taco toppings like shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and avocado or black olives.

To incorporate Mediterranean flavors, spoon polenta onto a plate and top with a quick, chunky tomato sauce made by sautéing chopped sweet onion, garlic and red and/or yellow bell peppers in olive oil until crisp-tender. Stir in a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, 2 Tb of tomato paste, a pinch of red pepper flakes (if you like a little heat) and a large splash of white wine and simmer until heated through, about 20 minutes. Stir in chopped kalamata olives and top with feta cheese.

Or make a quick polenta "lasagna" by spreading the cooked polenta into a baking dish and topping with jarred tomato sauce and whatever else you like in lasagna: cooked meat, mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheese and sauteed veggies of any variety. Again, bake just until the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes in a 350 oven.

But my all-time favorite polenta topper, and an amazingly healthy meal, is sauteed greens. I sauté sliced garlic and onion (it will maintain its texture better if you slice it vertically, from root to stem) in olive oil, then add chopped sundried tomatoes, golden raisins, red pepper flakes and washed torn greens - any combination of kale, chard, mustard or turnip greens. Cover and let greens steam, stirring frequently. It should take less than 10 minutes for the greens to cook down enough, depending on the time of year and age of the greens (baby greens being more delicate and therefore cooking much more quickly). Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve on a plate of polenta and, if you like, top with shredded Parmesan, Pecorino Romano or feta cheese.

Because it has a relatively neutral flavor and is so easy to prepare, polenta is a great jumping off point for a variety of meals.

A final word to the wise: you can spend a bundle on the boxes of cornmeal called polenta, or you can buy a bag of coarsely ground cornmeal and have this dish for pennies per serving.