Kitchen sink polenta

Hi there friends. Geeze…it’s been so long since I posted anything. You would have thought with this COVID 19 taking over our lives I would post more, but working from home’s got me blue; once I’m done for the day I don’t want to look at a computer screen for another minute. Today, however, is different. It’s Friday, the weekend is almost here, the week felt like it sped by, and I’m finally in the mood to talk about all the yummy food I’ve been making. Even though I may not be posting about food, I’m definitely still cooking it!

One major difference in my cooking style this past month is creativity. What I mean is, I don’t get to run to the store every few days and pick up all those specialty items for whatever meal suits my fancy. Actually, I haven’t been to the store in weeks, so simplicity and Instacart shoppers has been my motto. I have to give credit where it’s do, so thank you to our shoppers and the medical care folks that are putting their lives at risk every day to save ours – those are the real heroes in this troubling time.

For this meal I decided to raid the pantry and fridge to see what I could throw together quickly, but still with some pizzaz. I spyed Trader Joe’s polenta and had ground beef defrosted, so the base of the meal came together easily. For the veggie add-ins I used red bell peppers, onions and garlic per usual, tomatoes and spinach, but really any vegetables work, so throw in whatever is getting to the end of its “lifecycle” that you have.

Ingredients:

1 lb of Butcher Box ground beef (never have I been so thankful to have this food service!)

1/2 large onion

2 garlic cloves diced

1 red bell pepper

3 cups of fresh spinach

1 package of Trader Joe’s polenta

Salt/Pepper

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

Parmesan

Place a pan on medium heat and add olive oil. Brown the meat for about 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan and plate. Sauté the onions and garlic for about 3 minutes then place beef back in pan with juices from the plate. Add red bell peppers and spinach, cook for about 2 minutes and then add tomatoes and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes until everything is cooked through.

While meat is cooking slice polenta in 1/4-1/2 inch rounds and cook as indicated. You can place them in the microwave or sauté them in olive oil in a pan on the stove, that’s usually how I cook them.

Plate using the polenta as the base, top with meat, and add parmesan to finish it off.

Wine to pair?

Oh my….so this is one part of the Covid-19 that is a bit concerning…wine, like almost nightly! Well I’m trying to take a few days off here and there, but that’s not going so great. I actually paired this with a Chianti, but honestly pull out whatever you have at this point, but keep it red to stand up to the tomato based meal. Cheers friends; stay safe and be well!