Polenta Power

I like polenta. Scratch that. I LOVE polenta. I love polenta to the point where any time any of the Mountain View Google cafes are serving polenta I seek it out and eat a disgusting amount of it. It doesn't matter if it's soft, set, grilled, fried, whatever. It's tasty stuff. Unfortunately, my hubby is not a big polenta person. I've made it for us once before and he wasn't thrilled with it. Last night, though, I finally found a polenta recipe that he loves as much as I do. It was so good he was willing to eat the left overs for breakfast. So good, I figured I should share it with the world. The polenta recipe is based on this one from RecipeSource. The mushroom ragu is based on this recipe from Martha Stewart. I winged it on the arugula.

Smoky grilled cheddar polenta with portobello ragu and wilted arugula

3 cups low fat milk

3 cups water

2 cups instant grits

Approx 1/6 c shredded smoked cheddar ( I used Hickory Farms smoked cheddar and swiss blend)

Approx 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Butter for greasing your grill

2 Tbsp Olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

Approx 3 Tbsp minced red onion

2 large portobello mushroom caps, coarsely chopped

1.5 tsp dried rosemary

1/3 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

2 large portobello mushroom caps

3/4 c fresh arugula

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp pomegranate balsamic vinegar

You will also need

• a large, heavy sauce pan
• a large fry plan with a cover
• a standard jelly roll pan
• a grill or a panini maker (I used my George Foreman)

1. In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the milk and the water to a boil, making sure you don't scald the milk.
2. Slowly stir in the grits. Reduce heat and simmer until the porridge is thick enough for a wooden spoon to almost stand straight up.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Spread the mixture into the ungreased jelly roll pan and put in the fridge to set for 10 minutes or so.
5. In the meantime, rinse and chop the mushrooms, mince the garlic and onions.
6. Heat the olive oil on low in a large fry pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook until soft and the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.
7. Raise the heat to medium. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook, covered, until the mushrooms release their liquid.
8. While the mushrooms are cooking, preheat the grill or panini maker.
9. Remove the set polenta from the fridge. Cut into large chunks. (I cut my pan into 12 pieces)
10. Butter the grill and then add the polenta.
11. Uncover the mushrooms and raise heat to high. Cook until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the mushrooms are brown - 3 to 5 minutes.
12. Add the chicken broth and rosemary. Cook until the skillet is almost dry.
13. Push the mushrooms to one side of the fry pan to keep warm. Add the remaining olive oil, arugula, and balsamic vinegar. Toss until lightly wilted.
14. Remove the polenta from the grill. Top with the mushroom ragu. Top that with the arugula.

This was fantastic on it's own, but it was made even better by serving it with my other fantastic creation from last night

Baked chicken legs and apples with rosemary brown butter gravy

5 chicken legs

2 granny smith apples

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

McCormick garlic pepper seasoning grinder to taste

2 Tbsp butter

2/3 cup chicken broth

Rosemary

corn starch

You will need

• A medium sized oven safe dish
• a small sauce pan

Preheat oven to 400F. Rinse and pat dry the chicken legs. Pour olive oil in the oven safe dish. Roll the chicken in the oil to coat. Season with the garlic pepper seasoning to taste. Slice the apples thinly and add them to the pan with the chicken, making sure that they've got a little bit of oil on them. Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes or until juices run clear.

For the gravy, brown the butter in the saucepan over medium high heat. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and simmer. Whisk cornstarch one teaspoon full at a time into the reserved chicken broth, making sure to break up lumps. I have no idea how much cornstarch I added. I kept adding until it was cloudy. Pour the cornstarch mixture back into simmering sauce pan. Add rosemary to taste. Simmer until thickened. Pour gravy over chicken and apples.

I put the gravy over the polenta, mushrooms and arugula too. It was fantastic. Like Carl-took-one-bite-and-his-whole-face-lit-up fantastic. I was quite proud of it.