3 Ways To Cook Polenta
It is summer on Cat Island. Hot, hot, hot. Sun is shining every day and the winds have gone to sleep. Mosquitos, the size of wasps, are multiplying in billions in the stagnant puddles left over from short, non-refreshing summer rains.
Not much is growing in the intense heat except for weeds and corn. And I don’t mean marijuana, I mean weeds that send out urchin-like seedpods that stick to everything and really, really hurt to step on. I mean weeds that look like pretty little daisies and effectively strangle everything else growing around it. I mean weeds that grow vines over the footpaths with nasty little thorns on them that catch you right over the ankle every time.
And then there is the corn. Not for eating, mind you, but for making cornmeal and grits. I have tried eating that corn, but it is hard and bland tasting and doesn’t get eatable however way you cook it. But is does produce grits. The yellow island grits does not taste very much like corn, but then neither does corn flakes. If you just boil it with a little salt, it is rather average breakfast porridge, but the Bahamians know a lot of accompaniments to make it interesting.
In the airport in Nassau, I have had grits with sardines in tomato sauce. In Cat Island I was treated to grits with my boiled fish. Stew conch also goes well with grits and tuna salad and grits is perfect for a Saturday breakfast. Some sliced avocado on top of the grits satisfies the requirement for vegetables for the average Bahamian.
In the southern states of America, grits is one of the true staples. Most households use the prepared white grits that cooks fast and doesn’t require much stirring. White grits come from white corn and taste even less than yellow. Serve it with a lot of melted cheese, butter and maybe sugar, and you have a very kid friendly breakfast.
I was contemplating my grits and chicken when I realized that grits is the same as polenta, the Italian staple food, only prepared in a different way. And I immediately went through my Italian cookbooks to see if I could get some ideas that would fit the bill for Cat Island.
So I found all these different ways to serve the polenta. Soft, hard, baked, cold and fried.
One of the easiest way to prepare polenta is to add different tastes to it while it is soft, let it cool in the fridge and then cut it in pieces and fry.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of grits
- Salt
- 2 - 3 fresh sausages
- Spices (salt & pepper)
- 2 - 3 plum tomatoes
Method
- Boil the grits with one cup of water and some salt
- When the water is gone, add more. Stir often. Add more water as soon as it boils away. It takes about 20 minutes for grits to get soft.
- In the meantime, fry the sausages, let them cool and cut them in slices
- Cut the tomatoes in dice sizes and put them in the fat from the sausages. Let them stew slowly until they almost fall apart.
- When the grits are ready, spoon it into serving bowls, add the tomatoes and the sausages and enjoy.
- FRIED POLENTA CAKES WITH HOT KETCHUP: Make the grits/polenta the same way as before but spoon it into a form instead of serving bowls. Put the form in the fridge and let it stand for at least an hour. When it's hardened, turn the form over onto a cutting board and lift the form away. You may have to grease the form before putting the grits in. Cut the polenta into squares and fry the lightly on both sides until they are light brown on the outside and warm all through.
- HOT KETCHUP: One can crushed tomatoes One tablespoon Sugar, 2 tbsVinegar 1 goat pepper One big clove of Garlic Salt and pepper Put a can of crushed tomatoes in a food processor. Add garlic, salt, goat pepper ( without the seeds), sugar and vinegar and pulse it smooth. Taste it. If it is too hot, add water. Boil it down to a thicker consistency. One whole goat pepper is mighty hot. You might want to use a jalapeño instead. And if you want a little "darker" flavor, add some Worcester sauce.
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Summary
Jacqueline Campaigne
When we moved to Cat Island, 16 years ago, I knew we had found our paradise. But even paradise has its glitches. For a foodie like me, the lack of fresh veggies and meat, the scarcity of fish and the really bad assortment of wines was a bit of a challenge. I had to learn to cook in a whole new way. How to make an interesting salad out of carrots and iceberg lettuce, for example. Not so easy. If any of my ideas can make a dent in the traditional way the cooks of Cat Island think and serve dinner, I think it would be a step in the right direction. I might not be able to convert anybody, but I can inspire at least some of them. If you are reading my blog from afar, perhaps you will visit my cat island kitchen. I would enjoy cooking for you!