Get Cooking: 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen (22 page)

4.
Add the beans and the crushed and diced tomatoes (with all their liquid) to the pot. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat all the way down to the lowest possible setting. Cover the pot with the lid slightly askew and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

5.
Grind in some black pepper to taste, and serve hot, with the cornbread alongside.

cornbread

Use regular fine-milled cornmeal for this, not the coarser polenta. If you don’t have any vegetable oil spray on hand, use a little softened butter to grease the pan instead.

Also, you could swap 1 cup buttermilk for the milk-plus-vinegar.

1.
Adjust the oven rack to the center position, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat an 8-inch square baking pan (or its equivalent, such as a 6-by 9-inch pan) with vegetable oil spray.

2.
Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl, and whisk together to completely blend.

3.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave (about 30 seconds on high power).

4.
Measure the milk into a 2-cup-capacity measuring cup with a spout (so you’ll have room to mix and it will be easy to pour). Add the vinegar, egg, and melted butter, and whisk until uniform.

5.
Pour the milk mixture into the cornmeal mixture, and use a wooden spoon to mix just enough to blend. (Don’t try to beat it or over-mix. Just stir.) Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan, scraping in every last bit with a rubber spatula.

6.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the center feels firm when lightly touched and a toothpick or sharp knife inserted all the way into the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cornbread cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

GET CREATIVE

• Add up to ½ cup canned, frozen, or fresh sweet corn kernels to the batter.
  
• Add one 4-ounce can diced roasted green chiles (spicy or mild, depending on your taste) to the batter.
  
• Add ½ cup (packed) grated Cheddar cheese to the batter.
  

mushroom-zucchini ragout over creamy polenta

Makes 4 servings

I
can think of few things more comforting than a hearty, aromatic vegetable stew served over a hot portion of creamy, soft polenta. Good any time of year, and downright great in the winter, this tastes best when made with a combination of domestic (white or cremini) mushrooms, shiitakes, and portobellos. If all three are available, buy equal amounts to make a combined total of ½ pound. If you can only get regular domestic mushrooms, increase the quantity to ¾ pound to compensate for the fact that these mushrooms shrink more during cooking and have a milder flavor than the other two kinds. Before starting, see “Mushroom Prep Tips” (Chapter 4: Vegetarian Entrées). Make the ragout first, and then while it simmers (the final step) make the polenta, so they’ll be ready at the same time.

1.
Place a large (10-to 12-inch) heavy skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat. After about a minute, pour in the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onion becomes translucent. Add the mushrooms and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to soften and any liquid they have given off has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

2.
Add the zucchini and yellow squash, plus the garlic, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Cook for just 2 minutes, stirring often. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the tomatoes with all their liquid, plus the water. Cover the pot with the lid slightly askew and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. (While the ragout is simmering, make the polenta.)

3.
Serve the polenta in soup bowls or pasta plates, topped with the ragout.

creamy polenta

Polenta, the dish, is Italian-style cornmeal mush. Polenta, the ingredient, is coarsely ground cornmeal, often found in the bulk bins in supermarkets and also commonly available packaged. Rich, creamy polenta isn’t difficult to make. As long as you keep it warm and keep stirring, it will stay nice and soft. You can add a little water if it starts to get too thick. It will firm up the more you let it cool.

1.
Pour the water into a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Then very gradually sprinkle in the polenta while whisking continuously.

2.
Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking or stirring very frequently, for 15 minutes, or until the grains are no longer crunchy and the texture is smooth and creamy. Serve immediately.

artichoke, goat cheese, tomato, and red onion focaccia

Makes 2 or 3 servings

F
ocaccia, that soft, irresistible bread that’s so popular in restaurants and sandwich shops, is basically just pizza dough baked in a pan with sides, so it rises a bit higher than pizza and takes on a squared-off shape. It’s easy to bake your own using store-bought pizza dough, which is sold both fresh (in the refrigerator case) and frozen (often near the pie dough) in many supermarkets. Topping it with a few vegetables and some goat cheese is all it takes to turn focaccia into a great main dish. Look for whole wheat dough, which is particularly nice in this recipe. The topping amounts suggested below are on the modest side, because that’s the balance I like, but feel free to increase them a bit—just be sure to leave some dough showing through here and there so it browns nicely. You can cut this into large pieces for dinner, or into smaller ones to serve warm or at room temperature for lunch or as a party snack. It wouldn’t be a bad breakfast-grab, either.

1.
Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 450°F.

2.
Sprinkle the cornmeal or flour onto a baking tray, and spread it into a thin layer. Place the dough on top of the cornmeal, and gently stretch and press it into a 9-by 13-inch rectangle (see “Working with Pizza Dough,” below). Let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes to rise and puff up slightly.