Had We But World Enough and Time: Polenta

Real polenta takes work. And time -- a whole lot of precious time. Patience, and time, and muscle, mmm hmm, to do it, to do it right.

Polenta can be made from cornmeal of just about any consistency. Coarsely ground cornmeal produces polenta with a toothy texture. Finely ground cornmeal ends up in an airy, heavenly mush. It all takes the same amount of work. Which is, a lot. So put aside your tubes of premade (with preservatives) and your soupy simmered concoctions and roll up your sleeves. Let's get to work.

Put the tea kettle on; you're going to need 2 cups of boiling water right away. While you're waiting for the water to boil, add one cup of cornmeal to one cup of cold water in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Stir to combine.

Add 2 cups of boiling water to the mix. (You can increase that amount slightly if the cornmeal is coarse.) Add a little salt. Turn the heat to medium, and stir.

The mixture is going to thicken up quickly, and if you are like me, you are going to be tempted to stop at that point. The water is absorbed; how can it possibly keep cooking?

Continue to stir. As soon as the mixture begins to erupt with air bubbles, spitting up like lava, you can reduce the heat. You're going to need a good thick spoon with a comfortable handle, because the cornmeal mixture is just going to get thicker and thicker. This where the muscle comes in.

Stir continually until the polenta is done, which will take all of fifteen minutes. Finally, the mixture will begin to pull away from the sides of the pot. That's your signal to stop; that, and a delightful creaminess that overtakes this granular cement that has seemed to be hardening into place.

One final stir: Add a third of a cup of Parmesan cheese and stir until thoroughly combined. Optional step, but the Parmesan gives the cornmeal such a rich undertone that I am always reluctant to leave it out.

Polenta is best served warm, and immediately.

POLENTA
serves 4 to 6

1 cup cornmeal
3 cups water, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Combine cornmeal and 1 cup cold water in a medium-sized saucepan with a heavy bottom. Add 2 cups of boiling water and place pot on medium heat. Add salt. Stir fifteen minutes, until polenta mixture pulls away from pot. Remove from heat. Add Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Serve.

Serving suggestions: Polenta is a versatile grain that  takes easily to black beans, braised greens, Italian tomato sauces, etc., etc. Leave the Parmesan out and serve for breakfast with maple syrup. Leftover polenta can be sliced up and fried. The polenta you make, when slightly cooled, can be pushed into a glass pie pan, baked for 20 minutes, and used as the base for deep-dish pizza.

Cabin Fever and Thai Coconut Soup

Not long after Hurricane Sandy trashed the landscape, not far into winter, I decided to take on the chef in our kitchen who consistently produces the most intensely flavored, exotic, delightful Thai dinners. His answer to a recipe request for his coconut soup is to say he never makes it the same way twice; nor is he exactly keeping secrets, because the taste does vary as much as the ingredients.

I wanted a coconut soup that was light, fresh and delicious. So I Googled "thai coconut soup," compared the recipes, picked one, adjusted to serve 40 people, and tried it out. No kidding, it tasted very much like the coconut soup at my favorite takeout Thai place! Unlike every other recipe I have given you here, the broth is an exact science: I make it the same way every time. It is very simple. The yellow lined paper on which I computed the original proportions has become an icon. This soup is wildly popular, and people ask for the recipe all the time. Here it is.

THAI COCONUT SOUP FOR 40

broth:
8 quarts of vegetable broth
4 15-oz. cans unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup tamari
1 heaping tablespoon turibinado sugar
7 basil leaves, chiffonaded
one bunch cilantro, stems included, chopped

vegetables:
5 to 7 bell peppers of any color, cut into long strips that are then chopped in thirds
2 lb. small white mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 to 5 roasted sweet potatoes, chopped

Bring the broth to a boil, add the coconut soup and reheat, but do not boil. Add the vegetables, bring to a boil, and turn off the heat. Add the rest of the ingredients. Serve.

Okay, you're not cooking for forty, are you. I will give you my adjusted version of the scaled-down recipe, serves 6. But first, a few comments on finishing the soup.

I have used Frontier powdered vegetable broth, because the ashram kitchen stocks it. I can't unequivocally endorse it, because the first ingredient is corn syrup solids. But the powder is a workhorse for the kitchen, and it works for this recipe: 2 cups of broth powder for 8 quarts of water. I bring the broth to a boil and let it sit on the stove for a while. Before proceeding, I usually add as much as a quart of water, depending on how long the broth has been simmering and how much water has boiled off.

This is a fresh soup, a midwinter antidote to Northeast cabin fever from an exotic Pacific locale. You don't want to cook the vegetables overlong; you don't want to boil the lime juice, the tamari or the fresh herbs at all.

A note on the vegetables: The addition of peppers and mushrooms comes from the Thai restaurant's version. Theirs always had red peppers. I have always used green peppers, because that's what we had on hand. To compensate for the reduction in sweetness, I added some leftover roast yams (also on hand). That worked so well I go out of my way to roast yams for the soup. I have also tried green peas, which are fine. Add them at the last minute, even if frozen; they will turn gray if boiled for long. One quarter of a cabbage, finely shredded, can substitute for the peppers.

How to roast a sweet potato: wash it, rub it lightly with oil, put it on a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 375 degrees. After half an hour, it should be done (soft). Check by sticking a knife or fork into it.

THAI COCONUT SOUP

serves 6

broth:
6 cups vegetable stock
1 15-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1/2 to 1 teaspoon turibinado sugar
1 or 2 basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

vegetables:
1/2 to 1 bell pepper, cut into short strips
1 cup small white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 small sweet potato, roasted and chopped

Bring stock to a boil, add coconut milk and bring almost to a boil. Add vegetables and simmer one to three minutes. Add all other ingredients just before serving. Note: This soup is richer than the high-quantity version; you can reduce the amount of coconut milk to taste. And see the comments above on suggestions for other vegetables.