So which is it?! Grits or Polenta?

I've been on a Polenta kick this year.  It pairs well with so many dishes, and it's just about as comforting as can be - creamy, buttery, cheesy (if you like it that way);  it can be a savory dinner side or the star of the show for breakfast and brunch with a bit of maple syrup or brown sugar mixed in.  In my fascination with this porridge-y goodness, I've found there is much debate over the differences in grits and polenta.  Most will stand their ground and argue they are not the same thing, however it's time to shed a bit of light on this issue.

Alton Brown did an entire show on this debate a few years back: TRUE GRITS (watch it if you can!).  I've done some digging online and also noted Alton's key points.  Here's the deal.  Grits and Polenta are the same thing.  The cornmeal used for both is most commonly made from flint or dent corn.  HERE is an interesting read from about.com on corn.

Some argue that polenta is made from medium ground cornmeal and that true southern grits are made from coarse ground white cornmeal, however, there is no set standard.

Alton did note that hominy grits, the standard grits of the deep south, are definitely different than regular corn meal grits.  Hominy is dried corn which has been treated with an alkali such as lye.  This changes the chemical structure of the corn and makes it blow up several times its original size.  Hominy grits are [obviously] made from hominy, and the end result is a coarser meal - "grittier" grits that "never get truly creamy".

Many people are also familiar with the firm version of polenta, which is poured into a pan once cooked, and chilled in the fridge.  The polenta hardens and can be cut into slices, circles, squares, or "polenta fries" and then grilled, sauteed, or deep fried.

Basically, the way I see it is grits and polenta are different based on context.  I do feel like white coarse grits seem more "country" or southern", adding more to the visualization of eating than anything, but I'd be completely fine with using the yellow variation any day of the week.  I would serve polenta with a nice ribeye and grits with biscuits and gravy.  I'd probably throw some Parmesan-Reggiano in the polenta and some sharp Cheddar in my grits.

So, what do you call your mush?  How do you like it?  

Pantry raid, asian style

I was craving something Asian today.  I may have to do with the fact that I did get a Thai massage (best massages ever!).  I grabbed some salmon, bok choy, ginger, green onions, and Shiitake mushrooms from Whole Foods.  When I got home, I basically pulled out every Asian ingredient I could think of, and came up with this:

PANTRY RAID ASIAN SALMON


I didn't measure any of this out, so it's all rough estimates...


SAUCE


1 T freshly minced ginger
1 T freshly minced garlic
1 T finely diced jalapeno (I left the seeds in)
2 T chopped green onion
3 T sesame oil
3 T honey
2 T hoisin sauce
1 T dark red miso paste
2 tsp or more Sriracha (Asian hot sauce... makes everything taste better)
1 tsp corn starch
1/3 cup soy sauce

Blend in a blender until combined into a liquid

BOK CHOY


1 head bok choy, bottom trimmed, soaked and dirt rinsed
1 cup Shiitake or other type of mushrooms
1.5 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup sliced green onion
half of sauce recipe from above
sesame seeds

Add ingredients to a dutch oven or large lidded pot and bring to a simmer for about 30 minutes or until nok choy and mushrooms are very tender.


SALMON


2 salmon filets (about 6 ounces each)
salt
pepper
peanuts

Season salmon generously with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 T butter and 1 or 2 T sesame oil in a heavy bottomed fry pan on med to med-high.  When the pan is hot, add salmon, skin side up, to the pan.  Cook for 4 minutes and flip.  Once turned over, pour remaining sauce over the salmon and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.  Plate salmon on top of bok choy and garnish with peanuts.

This cook time was for a medium-rare to medium salmon.

Flat is beautiful

Okay, so I stole my title from Alton Brown and his pizza episodes for Good Eats (my favorite show, ever!).  I probably learned more about cooking from him than anyone else, so I had to give him a shout-out.  There seems to be nothing quite comparable to a night of home-made pizza making with friends.  This was on the agenda for last night.  A few recent visits to Nashville's City House inspired my friend Brandon Jenkins (designed the killer logo for Dry Toast) and myself to plan a pizza night of home-made, gourmet pies.

I believe most great things in life are simple.  The same applies to pizza.  It should have a few top quality ingredients (too many, and flavors start covering each other up), and the crust should be stellar.

Where to begin?  The two more important ingredients are the crust and the sauce.  As I said, SIMPLE!  

FOUNDATION

THE CRUST

I have used a few pizza recipes in the past, including one from Alton Brown and one from Wolfgang Puck.  This time, however, I decided to make a dough derived from a simple Country Loaf bread recipe from the the book I've been journeying my way through this year, Tartine Bread. 

The author and owner of Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, Chad Robertson, takes his readers step by step through the process of making incredible hand made, naturally leavened (no yeast!!) bread that looks and tastes as if it came from the best bakery in town.  I'd tried two of the bread recipes from the book so far, which both turned out wonderfully, and figured the pizza dough had to be great.  It's the same bread dough simply shaped into pizza rounds.  

In the morning, as I was preparing my leavening, it was not developed to the extent I had wanted it to be (wasn't fully floating in water), however I was running out of time, and if I had not started the bread dough, we wouldn't had pizza.  To my surprise, the pizza crust turned out great.  Everyone enjoyed it.  Had I allowed the leavening to develop a tad longer, the outer edge of the crust would probably have risen and puffed up more (next time I will do this), but the flavor was incredible, and it did not seem lacking in any way.  Ingredients in the dough: flour, water, salt.  

THE SAUCE

You may recall my post on Spaghetti & Meatballs from last month.  The sauce from "The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual" was so great, I decided to make it again for this.  So simple too: canned whole San Marzano Tomatoes, whole garlic cloves, good olive oil, salt, and crushed red chili flakes.  Key ingredient: time.  It simmered for about 5 hours yesterday.  I think I could've eaten a bowl of this and called it a night!  Here's the recipe adapted from the book.  This is only 1/4 of the original recipe.  It was plenty for 2 or 3 pizzas.

1 28-ounce can of whole peeled Italian Style San Marzano Tomatoes

1/4 cup good olive oil

4 whole cloves of garlic

kosher or sea salt

crushed red chili flakes

Add oil and garlic to a dutch oven or large pot and let them simmer for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, pour the tomatoes in a large bowl, discard the basil leaves and tough ends of the tomatoes (they will squirt everywhere if you're not careful!).  After 10 minutes, add the crushed red chili flakes to the oil for about 30 seconds.  Add the tomatoes and salt.  Let everything simmer for at least 4 hours.  Your patience will be greatly rewarded!

THE SECRET INGREDIENT

So, I said Brandon and I were inspired at City House.  What sparked such inspiration?  Chili oil drizzled on top of the pizza we had ordered!  It was amazing, with a subtle background of heat, amplifying all of the other flavors on the pizza, and leaving a lingering spice in your mouth.  Only one thing left to do: eat another piece!

THE PIES

Now that the foundation was ready go, here were the pizzas we ended up making:

CLASSIC MARGHERITA

Fresh Mozzarella

Fresh Basil

Sunday Sauce

Chili Oil

Crushed red chili flakes and cracked black pepper for garnish

Brushed olive oil on crust

POTATO

This was also adapted from a few of this pizzas on City House's menu.  The potatoes really make the pizza rich and filling.

Scalloped Yukon Golden Potato

Olive Oil for base

Ricotta Cheese (I really only use Polly-O brand.  It's unlike anything else.)

Cooked Wellshire Farms bacon 

Frozen Peas

Brushed olive oil on crust

CHORIZO AND CHEESE

Thinly sliced rounds of Chorizo sausage

Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

Goats Cheese

Chile Oil

Brushed olive oil on crust

BBQ CHICKEN

This has been one of my favorite pizza flavors since I was really young.  It was a must.

Honey BBQ sauce

Roasted Chicken Breast, shredded and tossed in chili oil

Goats Cheese

Sliced purple onion

Brushed olive oil on crust

ICING ON THE CAKE

My foodie friend, Jeff, joined our pizza dinner, and he had inquired earlier in the day if I had anything planned for dessert.  He brought and incredible home made Macadamia Nut Ice Cream (molded in a Le Creuset terrine), sliced into beautiful squares and garnished with a sweet, salty, and crunchy Macadamia Nut Brittle.  Over the top!