We are so pleased to welcome back our dear friend, neighbor and food writer extraordinaire Lee White. Today, she teases our palates with a polenta served at Simsbury’s Metro Bis and attributed to cookbook writer, Kelsey Banfield. Sorry we can’t write much more about it now … must go and get cooking!
Over the years my husband and I, then I alone and sometimes with friends went to wine dinners at Metro Bis in Simsbury. The restaurant’s owner/chef Chris Prosperi and owner/author Courtney Febbroriello became friends in 1999 when I wrote the book, “Connecticut Chefs 2000.” The two began holding wine dinners, most of which included cookbook writers whose recipes became the dinners we ate and enjoyed.
For me to drive at least an hour or more, depending on traffic, was actually pleasant because the food was great and the company fun. I rarely tasted the wine (well, maybe a little sip) because I am sure that I, who drinks so little, will be the one to get stopped on the way home.
Last week I drove alone. I was seated with two farmers, each woman under the age of 30, and with Courtney’s father. The guest cookbook writer, Kelsey Banfield, had written “The Naptime Chef: Fitting Great Food into Family Life.” I loved all the food, but what was stupendous was a polenta and a salmon dish, each of which can be made is just a few minutes and cooked in less than 20 minutes. The polenta can be made ahead of time and warmed.
Below is the polenta recipe; next week I will give you the salmon recipe and one for a carrot soup made by my friend Joan which I adapted a bit.
Creamy Parmesan and Chive Polenta*
From Kelsey Banfield’s “The Naptime Chef” (Running Press, Philadelphia and London, 2011)
Yield: serves 4 to 6 servings
4 and one-half cups low-sodium chicken stock, divided
1 cup medium-grind polenta or corn grits
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
One-quarter cup finely chopped fresh chives
One-quarter cup whole milk (two-percent is fine)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup (4 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- In a large saucepan bring 4 cups of chicken stock to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and add polenta, stirring as you pour it in to break up any lumps.
- Adjust heat to the polenta remains at a simmer and add the salt, pepper and chives. Use a long-handled wooden spoon to stir continuously as everything is added, scraping the bottom of the pan from time to time to keep the polenta from sticking to the bottom. Continue to stir until the polenta is thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Once the polenta is smooth and thickened, turn off the heat and stir in the milk, butter and Parmesan. Taste for seasoning and one or two pinches of salt if needed. If eating right away, pour the hot mixture into a heat-proof bowl and serve hot.
Make ahead tip: Store cooked polenta in the refrigerator—still in its saucepan—covered with plastic wrap. To reheat it, place it back on the stovetop over medium heat and pour in additional chicken stock and stir the polenta until it is creamy and heated through.
Variation ideas: for some fun variations, try using a nuttier cheese like Gruyere, or spice it up with a few pinches of chili power to add heat.
*I had never made polenta before. One of what things I learned is how forgiving it is. I had six big eaters at dinner, so I added some more grits and seasoned it well. Since polenta is more a canvas than a painting itself, I used chicken stock I had in the pantry, then added vegetable stock when I ran out. I didn’t measure the chives or the Parmesan. When I reheated the polenta, I added more stock than the recipe called for, but I could have used water. Also, I used corn meal and corn grits Chris game me from Young’s Farm in E. Granby, CT. As I cooked the polenta, I could, literally, smell the farm itself. Wine enthusiasts call grapes’ soil its terroir. I always thought that was sort of silly. I don’t think that anymore.