March 2, 2015
I hear the temperatures have dropped in Canada so I thought I’d post a recipe for a nice warm, soft polenta to warm you up. Polenta is cooked cornmeal and not exclusive to Italian cooking, as anyone who has had grits or mamaliga (Romanian cornmeal porridge) or corn pudding knows. The simplest way to make polenta is to cook it with water or stock until the grains are soft and plump and this takes a... View Article
April 17, 2014
Spring is still resisting but I decided to ignore it and pretend it’s here. Wherever spring vegetables come from this time of year, they are beginning to show up in the produce section of our local stores and I am all over them (if they look good). I am also in the middle of a difficult photography course, two, really, challenging myself to learn more. Sitting next to young (twenty somethin’) group of students is... View Article
December 9, 2013
You have to hand it to the Italians. The best foods come from their culture and history. Pasta, risotto, polenta. I can live on these foods, and believe me, I do. It might surprise you to learn that in some parts of northern Italy (Veneto, Friuli and Lombardy) pasta was virtually an unknown food as recently as three generations ago and it was polenta that sustained life in those regions. I find this fascinating. I... View Article
December 3, 2013
So, as I am writing this I am wondering how the trip to Paris will turn out to be. I have been there before and know I love the city but there are things that interfere. One thing is the excessive smoking everywhere. When I was there in the spring I was looking forward to sitting outdoors at sidewalk cafes but the reality was that I couldn’t. The tables are very close together and people... View Article
April 13, 2012
The tangy goat cheese adds a wonderful element of flavour to the polenta and combines nicely with the mushrooms and spinach. Serve this as a main course vegetarian dinner followed by a roasted vegetables salad or a green salad for a lighter meal. A glass of crisp white wine is in order here. Ingredients: 1 recipe basic polenta but using goat cheese instead of Parmesan (see posting in this category) 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons... View Article
April 13, 2012
Here is a twist on the traditional pasta primavera. Same topping, finished with cream is served on top of a bowl of steamy, creamy polenta. A few shavings of Parmesan or pecorino finish this up nicely. Polenta is so easy to prepare and so versatile, I am surprised it hasn’t caught on more in every day cooking here. Ingredients: 4 cups water 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1 cup cornmeal 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup grated... View Article
April 13, 2012
Polenta is simply cooked cornmeal of various textures (fine, medium or coarse grind). Traditionally it was cooked in a large copper lined pot over the hearth and when ready, the polenta was spilled onto a wooden board near the fire to be scooped into your bowl together with the meat or vegetables it was served with. As romantic as this sounds, polenta can be easily cooked on top of the stove in a regular pot.... View Article
