Grits, risotto, and polenta

While I think that people generally consider grits, risotto, and polenta to be incredibly different foods, I find them comfortably similar.

I know that the feelings and images associated with these three foods are quite different.

Grits will always be inherently Southern. To me, grits are made from hominy, and usually served as a breakfast food, although that may have more to do with Waffle House than how people actually eat grits at home. In any case, they are best served with bacon or sausage.

Risotto seems to have a bit of a mystique. Growing up in the Tennessee, I never heard of risotto until I was in college, and then it seemed to be more or less an indulgent European food, made with cream or cheese, broth, wine...it seemed awfully complicated. Arborio rice was not an ingredient I had ever heard of before. Rice was rice to me. It came as brown and white. You can see why I put off learning to make risotto for many years, although I still ate it at restaurants on occasion.

Polenta is made from ground cornmeal, similar to grits. I first had polenta at camp, served sliced and fried, with stew over the top. It was delicious. It was a few years later that I learned this is apparently not the standard method of serving polenta. I have yet to make home-made polenta that will stand up to being sliced and fried, but I have made excellent creamy polenta several times.

So what makes them seem the same in my mind? Cooking them from scratch. All three of them are basic, starchy ingredients that you cook until they essentially turn into a creamy goo. All three dishes work as a side dish or a main dish, depending on what you add. None of them require a recipe, in my opinion. I think all three dishes are best when made with general guidelines, from whatever ingredients you already have around the house (assuming you keep some veggies fresh or frozen). All three suffice as a medium when I crave good, expensive cheese. They are all easier to make in a thick-bottomed pan, so they don't burn on the bottom. Most importantly, they all require a bit of patience as you stand at the stove and stir as the liquid is absorbed.

I'm including a basic list of instructions for grits. I recommend this NPR article for information about risotto and Alton Brown's recipe for polenta.

Basic Grits recipe:
(Some) hominy grits
Water (2-4 times as much as you have grits)
Butter (a tablespoon or two)
Salt (to taste)

Cheese, if desired
Other spices, as you like

Put grits and about 2/3 the water in a thick-bottomed pot or pan. Heat until slightly boiling, then reduce heat to simmer, so that every once in a while a bubble comes up. Too much heat and you can splatter grits all over the stove while simultaneously permanently adhering them to the bottom of your pot. Cook, stirring almost constantly, as grits absorb the liquid. Add more liquid when you see that the grits are starting to thicken from absorbing water. I use this method, adding water as necessary, because it seems to work better for me than pre-measuring water and grits, like the package describes. Premeasuring can fail because you can lose too much water to steam, ending up with grits that look "done" because all the water is gone, but the grits themselves are not cooked enough. Premeasuring can also fail if you don't lose enough water to steam, in which case you end up with grits soup. In my case, premeasuring usually fails due to a combination of poor counting skills and the addition of other ingredients, such as mushrooms, greens, etc.

In my opinion, the best way to tell if grits are done is to take a bite (careful, it is hot!). They should be creamy, with no "gritty" parts that crunch or stick between your teeth when you bite down. You should still be able to distinguish the separate kernels, just a bit. Once the grits are cooked, you can decide how thick or soupy you want them. Just add more water or simmer some water off. Add the butter and cheese towards the end, stir thoroughly.

Flavors unite!

I recently went into a bookstore looking for a technical book to have as a programming reference for work. I entered on a mission - and walked out with three books about food. I never even made it to the computer books area. On the bright side, I am pretty sure that I have used the food books more than I would have used the programming reference book.

For anyone who prefers cooking with a strategy or along general guidelines instead of using a recipe and following the directions verbatim, I absolutely recommend The Flavor Bible. I have read through large parts of it, and I always feel inspired to make something (or at least eat something) when I flip through it.

One suggestion that I followed from the book was simply a wine and cheese pairing. I wondered, more out of curiosity than a concern with propriety, which type of cheese "should" go with the Riesling wine I planned on drinking. The Flavor Bible recommended "cheese, esp. blue, soft, triple creme." I had none of those. But it recommended apples, and I remembered that when I was reading about cheeses earlier (because I'm a nerd with too much time, apparently), apples are supposed to go well with Gouda. So I grabbed some Gouda out of the fridge, cut it into little cubes, and it went wonderfully with the Riesling. In this case, I think that having read about several ingredients I already owned kept their potentials fresh in my mind.

The second suggestion I would not have thought of on my own involved kale. I love kale. It is simple, healthy, and it appears early and late in the growing season in New England, which helps extend the amount of time I can reasonably eat yummy, fresh, local veggies. I picked up some kale from Allendale Farm last weekend, and I needed to finish eating it. So I planned on sauteing it in some garlic and herb butter I made late last summer. While the kale was sauteing, I added some balsamic vinegar and flipped open The Flavor Bible to see what else I already owned that I could put with the kale.

"Ah-ha!" I thought, when I read the recommendation for Parmesan or cheddar cheese. I had some aged cheddar cheese in the fridge. When the kale was done, I grated some of the cheddar over the top, and it was Delicious, with a capital D. It was magically better than the list of ingredients would suggest. (I would like to point out that under the "Cheese, cheddar" entry, they list bacon...which would have been awesome crumbled on top).

I think this book is great as a reference and as a source of inspiration. This book is not for you if you are afraid to cook without a recipe. This book is for people who are willing to go with the flow while cooking and eat the results of their experiments. It will probably help you avoid some failures and push you to try new, delicious combinations.

Apparently I am no good at this blogging thing...

Spring is here in New England. Flowers are starting to bloom (mostly tulips, pansies, daffodils, and crocuses, so far). There are a few lovely warm days in between the cool, rainy ones. On the nice days I absolutely do not want to be inside. Instead, I make any excuse to stay outside, whether it is gardening, running errands, or reading on the porch.

I have gone for a few short bike rides around my area of Boston, including one to Allendale Farm, where I bought some cute little pansies to plant next to my porch. Yes, I rode my bike to a farm and bought plants. It was great, although I noticed they didn't really have bike parking (I locked up to of their fence posts).

Knitting has been slow, mostly because class work has cut into my hobby time. I am glad the semester is almost over. It will be nice to be able to go home, make a decent dinner, and relax while knitting in front of the TV.

Winter, hurry up and be over!

This weekend I used my bike to run an errand or two around the neighborhood for the first time this calendar year. Yes, it was a little chilly (in the upper 30s), but for the first time in a while the snow was melted and the roads were dry.

While I like to ride my bike, I am a bit of a chicken when it comes to riding in the winter in Boston. I do not care for the cold at all, and I find it a bit scary to ride in the dark when there aren't many people out and about. And winter here always seems cold and/or dark.

But Sunday I grabbed one of my bicycles, found my helmet and some decent gloves, and rode to the store for milk and juice. I'll be honest, it was less than a mile and a half round-trip. It was long enough to remind me of a few important things, though. First, the importance of keeping some tissues handy. I'm not sure why, but when it is cold outside, my nose starts to run like crazy as soon as I stop on the bike. Second, I forgot how much more often you need to blink when riding in the cold! Third, and most important, I remembered why I like riding my bike so much. It was great to feel the effort I put into riding and see the resulting increase in speed. That is something that you just don't get at the gym.

I enjoy seeing the neighborhood and the people out and about when I ride my bike. I notice things that I just don't see when I am driving my car or walking down the same streets. When I'm driving, I'm going just fast enough that I don't notice the small things, like another condo up for sale or someone's new flower box. When I'm walking down the sidewalk, I'm so close to the buildings that I don't feel I really take it all in- plus it feels a bit creepy to really look around when you are moving that slow. Boston is definitely more of a "Keep your head down and just keep walking" city than a "Wave, smile, and nod at your neighbors" city.

So, winter, finish up your evil ways! Spring, hurry up so I can ride my bike around town!

The beginning...

The blog title came about mostly due to a little bit of alcohol and a very late night of insomnia and organic chemistry. Additionally, I feel that squirrels are an under-appreciated animal. An under-appreciated animal that I can relate to, that is. I, too, prepare far more than necessary and seldom have to use all of my resources. Also, I admit I am a bit twitchy when I try to sit still. I admire people who can just quietly sit when waiting or thinking. I make faces and fidget, but I can't help it.

One of my most important decisions in life was made because of squirrels -- I used the campus squirrels as one of my deciding factors for choosing a college. There. I said it. You know just how crazy I am. But it all worked out in the end. I had a great time for most of college (except for Fall 2005), and I met my husband at said college.

I plan on using this blog as a way of keeping track of things for myself. Among the challenges I face are gluten-free food requirements, pack-rat tendencies, apparent inability to take photos off of my camera, and many other things that should reveal themselves in time (I'm sure).

The tag line (the current one, which says "I can do it!") comes from a stubbornness that borders on personality flaw. I have a tendency to insist on that fact when I reach a problem and someone tries to help me. I'm not sure where it comes from, but I am independent and certain that I can do anything I truly decide to work for. That being said, there are definitely things I choose not to do. Like change the oil in my car. I know how, I've done it, and I choose not to, thank you very much. Perhaps I'll feel differently in another 3000 miles...