Side Dish Sundays: Southwest-style Baked Polenta

Okay -- bored and stuck in the hotel room in Austin (and not really in the mood to go out to the bars) -- so, resuming "normal" recipe blogging...

Southwest-style Baked Polenta

Start with the basic polenta recipe:

6 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until melted.

When the polenta is thickened, remove from heat. Add:

1 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese
1/2 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

Mix well. Pour polenta mixture into individual lightly oiled ramekins or single baking dish.

Bake @ 425°F for about 10 minutes (individual portions) or 15-20 minutes (baking dish). Remove from heat when top is light golden brown.

Serve hot with a sprinkle of cheese, cilantro and finely diced tomatoes.

If serving with breakfast, then crumble bacon over the top as a garnish... and if you want a little extra-kick, then 1/4 cup of diced jalepeno peppers mixed in with the cheese will spice it up nicely.

Comments

Just Desserts: Double Peanut Butter Bars

This recipe takes the simple peanut butter cookie and "raises the bar"... with three layers: Peanut Butter Cookie on the bottom Rich peanut butter icing in the middle Topped with a chocolate shell Delicious and decadent! For the cookie base: Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish. 1 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon dark molasses 1/2 cup creamy peanut buter 1/4 cup shortening 1/4 cup butter, softened 1 egg 1 1/4 cups flour 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt Prepare peanut butter cookie dough (per normal recipe) but do not refrigerate. Instead, spread dough evenly on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. For the middle layer: 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups powdered sugar In a small bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, milk, vanilla...

Smoky Bacon Cheddar Dip

This recipe combines creamy cheese, smoky bacon, a hint of sweetness, and a touch of spice for a delicious and addictive dip. Ingredients: 4 oz cream cheese, softened 3 tbsp mayonnaise 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (variety like Monterey Jack or Colby for extra flavor, optional) 1/2 red bell pepper, diced 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp ketchup 1 tsp brown sugar 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to your spice preference) 1/4 tsp black pepper Pinch of salt Instructions: In a medium bowl, cream together the softened cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheeses, diced red pepper, and crumbled bacon. Add the apple cider vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt. Mix well to combine all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. You can add more cayenne pepper for a spicier dip, or a squeeze of fresh...

More On Energy: Supply, Demand and the Not-so-free Market

Speculators in the market have, rightly, been targeted for thier use of the Enron-loophole to basically compete (unfairly) in a market that is mixed between highly-regulated (see integrated oil companies) and unregulated players (see commodity brokers). This imbalance of power has led to the free flow of capital to a market from sources that a decade ago largely abandoned investment in oil companies -- in favor of the speculative bubble of the dotcom boom. That lack of capital infusion -- and the capital-intensive nature of the oil & gas business -- led to the mega-mergers of 1999 - 2001. Bear in mind that even with all that merger activity among the multi-nationals, their true competition is with national oil companies -- basically branches of their nation-state governments: Pemex (Mexico), Petrobras (Brazil), Pedevesas (Venezuala), Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia), Cinoco (China) ... you get the picture. On the one end, you have national oil companies -- either in OPEC or non-aligned ...

Administrativia

Search This Blog