Thanks. I bought some polenta/grits today but had no idea what to do with it. I don't speak much Southern.

While not the most appealing picture (complete with steam cloud), this was my first attempt at a Texas Chili. 2lbs crap beef. Chili powder. Garlic. Oregano. Salt. Pepper. Szeged paprika. Flour. Beef broth. Very very yummy. Served on twisty egg noodles with toasted ciabatta bread with melted cheddar.

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Ian

i'd eat that. looks good.

Okay, I am reading debate in a foodie forum about whether polenta = grits. Some saying polenta is a different kind of corn, and baked, vs grits, cooked in a pot. ?

polenta: fine grind

grits: coarse grind

Polenta is usually ground corn. The grind varies. Most grinds are fine, but not all of them. It can also be a ground grain of another sort, such as buckwheat. Historically, in Italy, it could have been just about any grain.

It is made in a pot, usually with water, although not exclusively so. If you want to bake it, make it in a pot first, then pour it into a casserole dish and toss it in the oven.

If you're going to make grits, for God's sake take a lesson from Italy and throw some cheese it it.

JR

When making your grits, substitute 50% of the water with "half-and-half".
Results = Nice and creamy. (don't let the milk scald in the pan)

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John, the problem is that there is no official grits/polenta Board of Standards Certification to set them apart - the above comments are GENERALLY TRUE, BUT...

then there is the issue of the type of corn used to make the product...

If you're going to make grits, for God's sake take a lesson from Louisiana and throw some Tabasco on it (after using butter and nice warm egg yolk, of course). Bacon grease is always good.

Better yet, add cheese and fresh jalapenos....

JR

Stone Ground Grits

Ordering from Louiaiana Pride Grist Mill, Grinders of Stone Ground Grits | Louisiana Pride Grist Mill | Stone Ground Corn Meal, Stone Ground Grits, Stone Ground Corn Flour | Stone Ground Corn Products

John's Products

Anson Mills is another - the guy has located all sorts of heirloom grains growing on RR rights of way and in between farmer's field (he drives around looking for them); then he cultures and grows them - sells by mail order; not cheap

A variety of polentas will definitely be on the menu when I open the Savory Pastry Café.

Chicken Saltimbocca. Flattened boneless chicken breast with sage leaf. Top with prosciutto. Flour & fry golden brown. Sauce: Deglaze with white wine, add reduced chicken broth & some lemon.

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Served with boiled & butter fried potatoes & asparagus & a Pinot from Oregon (thanks Randy).

Ian

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Made pork belly again.

what is 'pork belly'?

Just what it sounds like. The belly of the pig, from skin inward about 2" in the case of the pieces I find at the store. Sliced a different way and then smoked, it is bacon. Maybe belly and bacon are from slightly different parts of the pig, I am not sure.

If you want to make some, here's what I do. Don't know if this is an accepted method or not.

1. Get a piece with a pretty uniform thickness of fat and also a pretty uniform thickness of lean. Trim if needed. Score the skin about 1/4-1/2" deep, about halfway through the skin, in a grid about 1" spaced - each square will later be cut into one bite-sized serving.
2. Place in a pot that is not much larger than the meat, skin side up. Add enough liquid to cover by 1". Liquid can be red or white wine or stock, with water as a last resort. You want at least 2 cups of liquid and 3 is better. Add a bit of garlic, onions, peppercorns, a dash of soy sauce or salt, maybe one star anise, whatever seems good.
3. Cover and place in oven for 4 hours. Temp is not critical - 300F and up. Or, bring to boil on the burner, then cover and simmer 4 hours. Or, my favorite way, pressure cook at high for 1.5 hour.
4. Remove enough liquid to expose the skin layer of the meat. Put that removed liquid in a pot on the burner. Bring to boil and reduce to a sauce.
5. Meanwhile, put the pot with the meat and the rest of the liquid, in the oven, cranked to 400F. Leave uncovered. Roast the skin until it looks as shown in my photo, or more crispy if you wish, but not burned hard. The liquid is protecting the meat from drying out, and protecting most of the fat from melting away or burning. That's why you want the uniform thickness. Finish with a bit of broiler if you want.
6. Remove the meat (support from beneath or it will fall apart). Cut at the scored lines into individual pieces. A serrated knife may help, as the meat crushes easily. Put a toothpick in each piece, going from the meat side works better. Arrange on plate, a few pieces to each plate. Sauce and serve only the first plate. Hold the others warm, in the extinguished oven maybe, serving one at a time. (Because this dish is not appealing when cold!) Reduce the rest of the liquid and use that to sauce the successive plates, if desired. If the dish is going to be left out on a buffet table, you'd want a chafing dish or similar, also something to soak up the fat, like bits of toast under each piece.
7. Each piece is one bite and should have tasty sauce, tender meat, melting fat, and crisp skin. I find that 2 pieces is plenty - 3 at most - it is very rich. Men seem to like this dish more than women.

I got curious about how you're supposed to cook pork belly, and looked at some recipes. Most call for baking/roasting the meat. Some Asian ones call for frying it. They are a lot faster and simpler than the half-day process I'm describing, so you might start with one of those recipes instead. Sorry about that.

I do still like my process because you're cooking each part of the meat differently - the meat is slow-braised the whole time, turns all melty, while the skin gets plenty of dry heat, gets nice and crisp, plus you get a sauce out of it.

I also thought of some small points that I do, but forgot about.
- don't score the skin more than necessary. The outer surface of the skin is the crispy stuff. It wants to shrink. If you score too much, the surface available for crisping will shrink to little pips.
- you can skip the scoring altogether, just cut the meat into pieces with the skin-side down. But you'll break the skin if it is really crisp.
- Don't use flour or other thickener for the sauce. Want a strong reduction, not a pasty gravy. You start with plenty of liquid, for this reason.
- I think it might be interesting to try flavoring the meat with different liquids. The liquid used in the second (open cooking) stage doesn't have to be the original cooking liquid. It could be, I dunno, milk, fruit juice, spirits, whatever.

All this talk about slow-cookers and dinner forced me get out the crock-pot.

I'm makin' some "Chili." Or, "taco soup" if you're a Texan.

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It's gonna be a fitting dinner, too, for a typical Colorado weekend. Yesterday it was almost 80 outside. Today, not so much.

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Steak and kabob night. Also a very special beer.

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String fries.

Wish I'd had some of those shrimp, for tempura.