Menu Plan, Kiss My Grits/Polenta

I don't know about you, but I'm not really a person who likes to plan things ahead of time. It took me many years to accept this fact and stop trying to change myself (an exercise in futility, if ever there was one). But once I recognized who I was (not a planner), and started working with nature, rather than against it, wonderful things started to happen.

You know how all those guides on living frugally tell you to go into the store with a menu plan for the next week, and a list with all the items you don't have that you might need to buy in order to execute said menu plan, and to only buy the items on said list, and nothing else? Well, I can't do that. In fact, I absolutely hate doing that. It turns one of the great joys of being a homemaker (getting to shop for food), into a mindless, soul-killing chore. See, when I go into the store, I like to look around, imagine possibilities, and dream a little bit. If I see something that inspires me, I want the freedom to go for it. I don't want to stick to some boring plan. More so, I don't want to spend the time figuring out the boring plan. That's not to say I go to the store without some sort of framework in my mind. I almost always have a general idea of what I'm in the mood for, some sort of direction, and a few things on a list. But I keep things amorphous until I get to the store and then I let my ideas coalesce. If you keep your pantry well stocked with some basic ingredients, you can shop like this, and not have to run to the store every night.

Sometimes people ask me how I find the energy to cook. Honestly, sometimes it's really hard, and I succumb to exhaustion and we get takeout. But mostly I find it in me, because I'm not approaching cooking as a chore. I'm approaching it as an expression of myself, an act of creativity, and as a performance (my family is the appreciative audience). It's also, of course, an act of love because you are nourishing others, but the selfless thing only gets me part way there. There's gotta be something in it for me, too!

So I wanted you to know I didn't plan this polenta dish I am about to tell you about. I made it out of what I happened to still have in the fridge about a week after my big shopping trip. It was really (I mean, really) good, and it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't let go of the plan. In addition, cooking this way is still frugal because improvisation better allows you to use up all the little odds and ends you might have lying around, that might otherwise go to waste.

I had a couple "lightbulb" moments as I was creating this dish. The first one was, "Leeks and tomatoes taste really good together." That's actually an understatement. The combination is mind-blowingly awesome. The leeks have a sweet, buttery onioniness that's offset perfectly by the acidity of the tomato.

The second lightbulb moment was, "These pan-fried polenta wedges would be even better if they had a crispy chickpea crust." The polenta wedges were made out of leftover grits from breakfast the previous morning. I decided to dip them in a batter of chickpea flour, water, salt, and a little chili powder, and then pan fry each side until they were nice and brown and crispy. The result? When you bite into the wedge, you first get a gentle, salty, oily crispiness, which accentuates the creaminess of the polenta. It just works so well.

I am not trying to toot my own horn, but just wanted to give an example of what can happen if you let yourself go into that creative space. The results may not always be good, but the process is infinitely more fun and rewarding than cooking by rote from a recipe (where the end result may also not be good). For me, recipes are great for stimulating ideas, and for using as a general guideline. But once I really "get it," going off recipe is what keeps me excited and engaged over the long haul.

Leek and Tomato Sauce
Olive oil and butter to generously coat saute pan
Three leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced in half lengthwise and washed, with those halves then thinly sliced crosswise
One large tomato, chopped
Salt
Pepper (fresh ground)

Heat olive oil and butter in a saute pan until butter is melted, and mixture is hot. Add the leeks and some salt and saute on medium heat for several minutes until the leeks are fairly soft. Add the chopped tomato and a little more salt, and cook until the leeks and tomatoes are very soft, and have a buttery texture. Add a very generous amount of black pepper, and more salt if needed. Serve on top of polenta wedges.

Chickpea-Batter for Polenta Wedges
I don't have a recipe for this. Just mix chickpea flour with enough water to make a batter the consistency of heavy cream. Add a little chili powder or cayenne pepper, and enough salt to make it nice and salty. Dip your polenta wedges in the batter, and then fry each side until crisp and brown. Make sure you use a lot of oil, and don't start frying until the oil is quite hot (rippling a little in the pan). Be careful, this tends to spatter. Also, it is useful to have a metal offset spatula for turning the polenta, as it is easier to pick up the wedges without leaving the chickpea batter stuck to the pan.


Making Polenta Wedges
Spread leftover grits in a smooth, even circle about an inch thick on a large plate. Let them cool, then slice into triangular wedges. Refrigerate the wedges until you need them, but be sure to bring the wedges back to room temperature before frying.

If you need a recipe for grits, just do this: Place two cups of whole milk and two cups of water into a large saucepan, and start heating. Slowly stir in one cup of grits and some salt. Cook at a steady simmer, stirring quite frequently, until the grits are done. They should be soft, and pull away slightly from the sides of the pan when stirred. You can stir in a couple tablespoons of butter at the end, to make them even creamier.

Please note, when I say grits, I am not referring to hominy grits. I am referring to coarsely ground corn meal. Hominy grits are also ground corn, but corn that has been nixtamalized. That's my new favorite word, by the way. Another fun fact you might not know: Grits are the official state food of Georgia. And I just battered and fried them. The governor should give me a medal or something.