I’d probably enjoy eating a completely different meal every
night if I didn’t have to deal with other people’s tastes. In spite of the fact
that I ate the same 4 things over and over again the entire time I lived alone,
I like to imagine that if left to my own devices now, I would be infinitely creative. Also
I would never be lazy. Also my fridge and pantry would magically restock
themselves with whatever esoteric ingredients I needed. And the dishes would
wash themselves.
In the Actual World I Live In, we sometimes fail to plan and/or
shop, we fall into ruts, and we lack imagination. Sometime we’re just tired.
That’s when the Coffee Can comes into play.
Have I mentioned the Coffee Can? I got the phrase from a
Cooking Light reader suggestion; the author of the letter said that she and her
family wrote down all their favorite recipes and put them into an actual coffee
can, and whenever they couldn’t decide what to eat they pulled out the name of
a favorite meal. Genius!
 |
| The recipes are in here...somewhere |
Our house being what it is, we have a virtual coffee can which resides on one
of David’s many electronic devices. I have absolutely no idea which device it’s
on or how to locate the recipes it contains, but I take a certain comfort in knowing
that all our favorites have been captured - somewhere - for posterity. (Should, god forbid,
anything happen to my husband, we’re going to be starting from scratch.) In the
meantime, he occasionally pulls up past favorites that make it into the regular
dinner rotation; this is one of those favorites. We almost always have the
ingredients on hand, and you can have it on the table within 30 minutes of the
time you walk through the door.
It originated in Everyday Food magazine, a Martha Stewart
publication that I absolutely adored. I actually love everything Martha
touches; I have a very unhealthy one-way relationship with her that will
undoubtedly be explored in a later post. Suffice to say that when Sirius XM
discontinued her radio station I felt that I’d lost touch with a friend (cut me
some slack, I used to drive a lot for work and Martha and I put in a lot of
miles together). The full version of Martha Stewart Living Magazine has been
getting a little light on content, and the previously-marvelous Everyday Food
has dwindled into a 20-something-page extra packaged with the other magazine
instead of being sold by its own nifty self. Alas. But that’s what back issues
are for, right?
Baked Polenta with Sausage and Artichokes
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, sliced
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage (with the casings removed if you
can’t find it in bulk)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can quartered marinated artichoke hearts
Salt and pepper
1 18-oz. tube prepared polenta
1/3 cup chicken stock
Preheat oven to 400.
In a large skillet, heat the oil and cook the onion until softened,
about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Add
garlic and stir. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the artichokes, and
season with salt and pepper.
Slice the polenta into ¼-inch rounds (you can also make your
own polenta for this, which makes the recipe considerably less convenient).
Layer the rounds with the sausage mixture in a 2-quart baking dish, preferably
the one your husband took to a church potluck and never got back, and which has
been discontinued by the short-sighted people over at Corningware. Pour the stock over the top and bake about 20
minutes, until the whole thing is bubbling and the polenta is starting to get
some crispy bits on the edges.
The last time we made this, we decided that we need to start
making double batches. It fed the four of us (probably only because John
decided he hated polenta that day) but there wasn’t a single crumb left over.
If there had been more we probably would have kept going, and we like to have leftovers
for lunch the next day. Just use a bigger baking dish.
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