The Gentrification of Polenta

Polenta, or corn meal, once thought of as peasant food and a staple of the Italian diet, second only to pasta, has in recent years been elevated to gourmet status and appears on even the most elegant restaurant menus. This always results in a chuckle from me for I remember first hand its humble beginnings. Versatile polenta, soft when warm, firm when chilled and neutral in flavor offers a supportive base for a variety of dishes and sauces. It serves as a pliable prop for fish and meat dishes and perfect for lapping up sauces.

As a girl growing up in a large Italian family, polenta was more than a side dish--it took center stage in communal meals with aunts, uncles and cousins. It was served warm and creamy and presented on the center of a large, wooden cutting board like a huge mound of mashed potatoes. It was then shaped into a large ring with a hollow area in the center to which a richly flavorful meat and tomato sauce (much like a classic Bolognese) was ladled. Family members would then spoon portions onto their plates enjoying the perfect partnership between gruel and sauce. Gathering around this communal plate was so much more than good eats…it’s symbolic meaning acted as a sort of kitchen table camp fire that led to rounds of story telling that the elders in the family joyfully passed on to the next generation, feeding them in spirit something that would last far beyond an immediate hunger for something tasty. This is shared food at its best.

Since food for me has always been a metaphor for life, the journey of polenta, from humble roots to gentrification did not escape me. Its obvious parallel to many of our ancestral voyages is clear, yet there is a message here that often gets lost in our human stories. In the process of discovery and application to more elegant tables, polenta is versatile yet never looses its basic character. It’s corn meal and never pretends to be anything else. In the process, its adaptability allows it to be appreciated by all: young, old, rich and poor. There is no discrimination.


Chef Silvia

True to Form

No matter what your station or status in life, the only thing that really matters is remaining true to yourself. This truth will shine through to everything you do and everyone you encounter.

Tips for a Great Bolognese Sauce

To make a great Bolognese Sauce start with the best meat. I find that a combination of ground turkey and sausage meat (not ground pork) makes the tastiest sauce. Look for sausage meat that has specks of fat for this is what gives the most flavor. Balanced with low fat turkey you can indulge guilt free. If you can't find bulk sausage meat, buy sausage and simply remove the casings.

Another important tip is to first brown the meat and leave it in big chunks before adding the tomato sauce, rather than allowing the meat to be dispersed throughout the sauce. This will concentrate the flavor in bite sized pieces while the fat from the meat infuses the sauce. Delicious!

Polenta With Bolognese

Make a big pot of the Bolognese sauce below, call a group of friends, whip up the polenta and and serve warm on your own communal plate and start the conversation and wine flowing.

Basic Polenta Recipe

* 1 pound or slightly more of coarsely ground corn meal (you want corn meal the consistency of fine to medium-grained sand, not flour, and if possible stone-ground)
* 2 quarts boiling water (have more handy)
* A heaping teaspoon of salt

Set the water on the fire in a wide bottomed pot and add the salt. When it comes to a boil, add the corn meal in a very slow stream (you don't want the pot to stop boiling), stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to keep lumps from forming. Continue stirring, in the same direction, as the mush thickens, for about a half-hour (the longer you stir the better the polenta will be; the finished polenta should have the consistency of firm mashed potatoes), adding boiling water as necessary. The polenta is done when it peels easily off the sides of the pot.

Serves 4.

Makes 4 servings

3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or enough to cover the bottom of the pan)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 medium clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground turkey
½ lb. of sausage meat (casing removed)
3 to 4 tablespoons sherry
2 16 oz cans of crushed tomatoes (or whole peeled crushed by hand)
1/4 cup half and half
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, stems removed and chopped, for garnish

Put the oil and red pepper flakes in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for about 1 minute and heat until the oil is hot but not smoking. Sauté the chopped onion until soft, about 1 minute, then sauté the garlic for a few seconds, or just until the garlic begins to brown.
Add the ground meat, and use a wooden spoon to break it into pieces and brown it on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful not to over stir and break up the meat chunks. You want them in big chunks for maximum flavor. Add the sherry and stir. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce begins to boil. Lower the flame to medium/low and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the meat is thoroughly cooked. Finish the sauce by adding the cream. Stir, reduce the heat to low, simmer for one more minute, and remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Sauteed Chicken with Butternut Squash in a Beer Maple Sauce Topped with Shitake Mushrooms

Recently a client that produces beer asked me to create a few menu items using their brand. Since I had never cooked with beer before I decided to experiment on a few friends. What resulted was this delicious dish that was a wonderful blend of savory and sweet and a perfect Fall dish--colors and all.

Serves 4

Ingredients.

12 fillets of boneless chicken breast (seasoned and dredged in flour)
1 butternut squash (quartered and seeds removed)
4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons maple syrup
6 oz beer
12 oz chicken broth
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 lb. shitake mushrooms (stems removed and sliced)
1/2 lb french beans (optional)

Bake the squash in a 400 degree oven until tender but still firm. Cool, remove the skin and any stringy particles still remaining. Dice into medium bite sized cubes and set aside.

In a small saute pan cook the mushrooms in hot (but not smoking) canola oil until golden and crispy (about 3 minutes). Remove and drain on paper towel, season with salt and set aside.
Steam or saute the string beans until tender but still firm. Season

In the meantime, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil and cook the chicken until golden on each side and cooked through (about 4 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken). Remove, season and set aside. Lower the heat, add the flour and mix with the juices in the pan. Cook for about one minute until golden. Add the beer, stir and add the broth and the syrup. Reduce the sauce for about 2 minutes (add a bit more broth and beer if too thick) until it resembles the consistency of a thin syrup. Add the squash to the pan along with the butter. Toss until the pieces are warm and coated with the sauce.

Plate by piling the squash onto the center of each plate, anchored by the chicken. Drizzle with the sauce, top with the mushrooms and the beans. Serve and enjoy!

It Starts With Good Food

Growing up, good food -- food that hadn’t been sprayed, injected, engineered, or otherwise altered -- was readily available. For my family it was as close as our backyard garden. And if we didn’t grow it, can it, or make it from scratch, we purchased it from small local purveyors: the fruit guy, the meat guy, the fish guy--in other words, the butcher, the baker and anything else we needed was close by and affordable. How different is the food climate today? Sure we can buy local and organic, but the average family can’t afford it! Yet my father, a working class man, was easily able to buy the best and freshest food even though he had six kids. I don’t know about you, but when the average family is cut off from good food, I think something is rotten. And like most things gone wrong, they happen over time. Maybe the idea is that if negative changes motivated by greed creep up on us slowly and we’re distracted long enough, we won’t notice until it’s too late and we’re trapped in a system that supports the interests of the very few over the needs of most. Nothing will ever make me believe that anything that comes with an ingredient list the size of a newspaper column is good for me, regardless of how pretty the package or how clever the commercials. Sorry but I’m not that brain dead despite the poisons positioned everywhere.

Until we realize that everyone, not just the rich, deserves access to good food: until we, the majority, stop buying the cr.. loaded on supermarket shelves across America; until we take responsibility for our buying power (depleted as it may be) and use it wisely, things will not improve. Changes are happening-- good changes--and as usual they happen because of individual efforts that grow, just like a garden, and spread their seeds everywhere. And once they find fertile ground, eventually we’ll harvest this pristine power and propel it towards what’s real, what’s worthwhile, equitable and authentic--and we’ll see the effects in supermarkets, farmlands, and boardrooms.

Maybe when each and every one of us has access to good food, our children and grandchildren will know, once again what real food tastes like. And when the butchers the bakers and the gardens return, our spirits, along with our bodies will be nourished, and from this replenished place anything is possible.

Enjoy the harvest from gardens everywhere. Share the bounty of what grows there and let it nourish the growth within you.

The Astronaut Farmer

Last night I saw the movie, “The Astronaut Farmer” with Billy Bob Thornton. In one scene when he was feeling particularly dejected, his father in law reminded him of what a great father he was when he said, “You are an amazing father. I couldn’t even get my family to share a meal. You got your family to share a dream.” Whatever your dream, believe it possible and share it always.