Have you ever gone to a restaurant and found a menu side item called “Polenta”? Polenta? I looked it up in the dictionary. It’s a combination of cornmeal, salt, oil and a liquid. Cornmeal, salt, oil and a liquid, hmm. For some reason, I remember another dish that has the same ingredients. Now, what was it? Think, think, think…oh. Could it be? Where’s my recipe card box? Let’s see, J, K, L, M…yes there it is, mush!

Mush, you know that Midwestern breakfast favorite, or not, that occupied space on your
dish on weekends? Mush, a combination of cornmeal, salt, oil and water or chicken broth, served with a helping of butter and maple syrup. Mush is Polenta, Polenta is Mush.

What’s the difference? None, well there can be a couple. The Mush, umm, Polenta served with your dinner may be “savory” meaning they have added herbs to the traditional mix. But they withhold the best part, the maple syrup. Its not cool to have maple syrup along side your New York Strip. It’s like asking for ketchup. So, aside from the herbs and syrup, your savory Polenta is breakfast mush. And Polenta is can be served soft, sort of like mashed potatoes, while mush is served fried in a patty form.

My wife loves mush. She might like Polenta too, I have never asked. Oh I forgot, they are the same thing. But she only likes the kind her mother makes. I once made it for her. Yep, went to the store and bought a tube of pre-made mush. I fried it up, served it with butter and syrup and she politely declined seconds. She didn’t understand why I didn’t try to make it myself. Lazy came to her mind, but in reality I knew that I could never compete with the Mother figure. That’s how I have kept in the mother-in-law’s good graces for 25 years! So I figured that store bought mush (it’s the same ingredients afterall) would be a close second. I thought wrong.

I wonder how her mom’s Polenta is?

I have a short series of clarifications to announce. Contrary to a recent article, I DID find sweet corn recently in Indiana which came from a southern state and it was delicious. I apologize to all our out of state growers. You can produce tasty sweet corn and I thank Marsh Supermarket’s produce buyer for finding it. Though our State Fair Sweet Corn still can’t be beat.

My son can cook. He pointed that out as he popped the frozen pizza into the oven. Though I had to cut it. The day he makes me a three course meal that consists of at least five ingredients per course, is the day I become a true believer.

I can’t live on pizza alone. I used to be able to. I had pizza three days in a row recently, now I shy away from it. I don’t think I could handle steak more than twice a week either. With age comes discretion.

Pulled pork sandwiches are pulled pork sandwiches. BBQ’d sandwiches are pulled, diced, or shredded meat lathered in sweet tangy sauces. The best of which have dry cole slaw on top.

My long lost brother was an important influence on my early cooking endeavors. Though the “drunk” chicken I prepared for him and my mother was probably the worst concoction I ever tried to serve.  Not everything goes well with bourbon.

I do not like raw vegetables, no matter how much dipping sauce there is. I do love cooked vegetables, even Lima Beans and Brussels Sprouts, as long as there is a butter sauce included.

Finally, a posthumous apology to my mom, I really didn’t like the fried calves liver in bacon and onion you and Erna served me. I was just being nice!

I feel better now.

These wet conditions we have been experiencing have me concerned. It seems like we are getting rain at least once a week, heavy rain, field filling rain. Rain that doesn’t dry up right away, but sits in the fields delaying the farmers from planting.

That delay pushes back harvest, and I really don’t like waiting for the harvest of Indiana’s best crop: sweet corn. Sure you can buy corn on the cob at your local grocery store right now. But those little ears of corn come from southern states, where the soil is not as compatible to growing corn as Indiana’s is. Plus those out of state specimens have small kernels that lack the flavor of our corn.

We shot pictures from our chopper today, showing field after field under water. My brother in-law is a farmer. I remember him telling us that it can take well over a week, after the water dissipates, before he can even think about putting his planters into the field. I am inpatient. I can’t keep waiting for Mother Nature to cooperate with my taste buds.

I bought some of these “counterfeit” ears. I paid dearly for them, both monetarily and gastronomically. As I said, the ears were small and small ears are not good for grilling. The best way to make corn on the cob is in the husk over the indirect heat of a charcoal grill. Corn with small kernels dries out too fast–too fast for the corn to take on the husk flavor. That’s what I get for being inpatient.

I know our farmers will get in the fields sooner or later. I know the State Fair will have burlap sacks full of corn. I just hope its Indiana corn. And I know that by the end of the summer I will have fulfilled my quota, and several others’ too, of large yellow kernels of Indiana corn drenched in melted butter (margarine if my doctor is reading this) and salt, er salt substitute (again only for the doctor’s benefit).

If you are a novice corn cook, one who only boils it, here is an easy way to experience corn at its best. First and foremost, you must buy corn still in the husk. Prepackaged de-husked ears tend to dry out while still in the store. If you are lucky enough to have a farm stand near you that sells locally grown corn, you have reached the nirvana of corn on the cob delicacies.

Set up your grill for indirect heat. Being very careful not to remove the husk totally, pull the husk down until all the silk is exposed. Remove the silk and replace the husk to its natural shape covering the kernels. Two schools of thought now (I have tried both and they seem to work fine): 1) You can soak those husky ears in a pot of cold water for twenty minutes and then allow to dry or, 2) you can just go right to the grill. Place the ears away from the hottest area and allow to cook, turning once every few minutes. If you notice the husk charring, that’s great, it adds flavor. If it catches fire, that’s not so good. Depending on your coals, it should take about 25 minutes on a good medium heat. Be careful! The ears are very hot while peeling the husk off. Make sure the butter and any seasonings you like are ready and enjoy. Slurping is allowed.

The temperatures are rising, the trees are greening and the grill is ready. I like to grill as much as possible during the warm months. The cold doesn’t stop me, but I don’t do as much cold weather grilling as I would like to. It helps that the summer brings longer periods of daylight too. It’s very hard to tell when something is done on the grill when the only light source is the coals beneath!

Charcoal, gas, wood. I have tried all types of grilling and always fall back on my dependable Char Griller charcoal grill that looks like a drum cut in half. I am now through my third set of cast iron grates. Yes, I like to grill.

For a time, I thought gas was the way to go. I bought a nice gas grill (did I mention I had to beg and beg the wife?) hooked it up, checked the connections about a hundred times (blowing up is not a fun sport) and lit it with the automatic igniter. Then I proceeded to burn the beast to a crisp. One bad thing about gas is that the heat doesn’t change by itself, you have to adjust the knobs. With wood and charcoal, the heat tends to dissipate as cooking time progresses. Of course the down side there is you have to keep adding charcoal or wood unless you don’t want your meat properly cooked.

I have tried hardwood smoking, but it is a long process and not everything tastes better smoked. Hamburgers come to mind. By the time they are smoked to doneness, they
are as dry and hard as hockey pucks.

Another nice thing about grilling is it can be a spectator sport. My kitchen is too small for friends, even family members, to hang out in while I am cooking. But grilling is done in the great outdoors and attracts all the visitors. My friends like the smell of charcoal
infused fumes wafting through the air.

Here are a couple of simple grilling recipes to make a satisfying summer meal. Heat your grill to medium high heat, around 350 degrees. Move your charcoal to an indirect heat method, which means the thoroughly heated coals are separated and pushed to each side of the grill. Brush four boneless chicken breasts with olive oil and place in the middle of the grill. Cover the grill. You can also grill your vegetables. I usually place them over the actual coals about mid way into the cooking of the breasts. Typically, I will cook zucchini, onions and asparagus, which I have also brushed with
olive oil.

I do not believe in giving times for how long a piece of meat will take to cook. I believe in the thermometer. Cooking times have all kinds of variables such as temperature, meat thickness, even how many times you open the grill cover! A thermometer is a foolproof way of eliminating the need to return half cooked meat to the burner.

Once the vegetables have reached your preferred doneness and have just the right amount of char on them, remove them from the direct heat, salt and pepper to your taste. When the chicken has cooked to its proper temperature–165 degrees–remove, salt and pepper to your taste. Serve with your vegetables and you have a light tasting summer meal, preferably enjoyed outside on the patio.

Food Is Comforting

During this recession, depression, correction or whatever you want to call the economic downturn we are going through, its hard to find good things as a result of it. But in the world of food, some of this bad news has made way for a re-emergence of down home comfort food. Meat loaf, casseroles, fried chicken, spaghetti and meat balls are all in
vogue now.

Most will argue that restaurants are hit hardest because they are considered a luxury ticket item. To soften the blow, many eateries are re-creating their menus to include lower priced items. To some degree, it appears to be working. If you have $10, a meat loaf dinner with mashed potatoes and a vegetable sounds more filling than a plate with a sliver of chicken wrapped around three asparagus spears and topped with balsamic sauce. The latter which would cost you double your meat loaf dinner.

Comfort food is my specialty. It costs less to make while happily filling a family’s belly. More importantly, it can be made at home. Since the recession started, data indicate families have made more time for dinner at home than any time in the last few decades. Family time has come back into fashion. Television shows dealing with food have shifted gears to follow this trend and highlight homemade comforting menus. Food magazine covers fill their margins with pictures of stews, soups and pastas.

Unfortunately though, even as I write a picture of a Norman Rockwell family sitting around a table passing a bowl of mashed potatoes and ham slices, I am reminded that there are neighbors, whose plates are empty, because they can’t afford even the simplest, cheapest of foods. Soup kitchens and food pantries are in dire need of donations to help feed the hundreds of thousand of out of work families. We who are fortunate need to reach out and help our neighbors. Boy and Girl Scout food drives, even WISH TV’s own drives with local grocers and the Indianapolis Colts, help a lot. But the pantries are still depleted.

One of my favorite singers, the late Harry Chapin, tells the story of an elementary school which held a food drive around Thanksgiving. It was a great success, collecting record amounts of food for the needy during the holiday. Then he asked wouldn’t it be great if the teachers came back from Thanksgiving break and asked their students what are they going to do to feed them the next week.

We need to remember our hungry neighbors, not just around holidays or special events. We need to remember them on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, every day.

As the college school year comes to a close next week, my worries about my son David’s future builds. I am not AS worried about future employment or whether he will graduate; he assures me he will! No, I am more worried that once he does graduate and leaves the college campus behind, he will starve to death!

David can’t cook, neither can his girlfriend. So he is in real trouble. Sure, he knows how to make mac and cheese, especially the microwave type. But real food? Not a clue. I have told him that he can’t live on mac and cheese, take out pizza, carry-out Chinese or fast food forever. Not if he wants to save any money!

He has never liked frozen dinners. And he can’t rely on his sister, forever, to whip up something, like she does when he pops in at her college apartment.

Last weekend he blessed us with a visit. I asked if he wanted to join me for lunch. He said he had already had lunch at home. Knowing that I didn’t have anything at Home, I asked what was the menu. He replied proudly, “four cans of chicken and noodle soup, the rest of the hot dogs (no buns), and pizza rolls.” Yes, he is a college student.

It has floored me for years that he has never picked up cooking. He has watched me nearly 20 years cook almost every meal he ate. He just never paid attention. Sound familiar, parents?

When I graduated from college, my mom and brother presented me with a note card file of easy to make favorites I had enjoyed throughout my childhood. I expect I will do the same. But I worry, some recipes have fractions, and math has never been a good subject for my kids!

One easy to make meal, anyone new to cooking can do, is what I titled Chandler Goulash. It’s not really goulash, but it was catchy and my kids took to the name. Brown one pound of ground beef, adding diced onions towards the end of the browning process. Drain and set aside. In a large pot, boil water (for you newbies, that means fill a deep pot
¾ full of water, add a teaspoon of salt and place on the stove on high temperature). Add 8 ounces of elbow macaroni to the boiling water. Make sure it doesn’t boil over; you may have to lower the temperature. Cook according to the directions on the macaroni box (yes, you have to read). Drain the cooked macaroni and add the ground beef and onion mixture. Add two cans of condensed tomato soup but do not add water! Mix together and season to taste. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Parents and brave newbies wishing to spice this up a bit can add a diced bell pepper during the browning time. A can of stewed tomatoes goes well when added with the soup. For a little more heat, add a teaspoon of chili powder.

To round out this meal you may want to add a salad. They sell them in bags at the grocery store, of course newbies will have to be shown the produce section! You can serve your meal with bread and garlic butter, too.

Its an easy to make meal, takes less than a half hour, and is quite filling. And it is sure to save a rookie cook from starving to death for at least one more day.

Pizza. I am a curmudgeon when it comes to what a pizza is.

Its sauce, sausage and cheese on either a thin crust or in a deep dish. That’s it, no arguments, that is what a pizza is.

Even Merriam-Webster defines it as an “open pie made of rolled dough spread with a spiced mixture (as of tomatoes, cheese, and ground meat) and baked.” Nothing in his definition says pineapple, artichoke, barbecued chicken, shrimp….

To show I am not too stodgy, if you want to spice it up, I will allow the addition of onions, mushrooms and green peppers. That is the tradition and when it comes to pizza, you have to go with tradition.

Adding extras like chicken, artichokes, or fish muddies up the dish. It detracts from the meaning of pizza. And it doesn’t look too appetizing the next day when you open the pizza box to enjoy cold pizza for breakfast. Every student learns to appreciate the fine palate of a cold slab of pizza the next day. It’s tradition.

Pepperoni, sauce and cheese gets the motor going in the morning. But if you grab a slice with day old shrimp or chicken on it…it’s just not the same and it could get you a trip to the doctor.

If you want shrimp and pizza; go for the shrimp cocktail. Pineapple and artichokes can be added to salads, but leave the pie alone. Sauce, cheese and ground meat.

Who can argue with Webster?

Did you know that it is very easy to make pizza at home and I don’t mean popping a frozen slab into the oven?

If you don’t have the time or are not ready to make a crust from scratch, head to the store. I have experimented with several pre-made crusts and found the type which comes raw rolled in tubes is the best to use. On a cookie sheet, or pizza stone if you have one, spread a little corn meal. Roll out the crust into whatever shape you like. Add sauce. NOT a lot though, that leads to a soggy crust. One cup usually is enough for a twelve inch pie.

Add the cheese, as much as you like, followed by sprinkling a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Top with pepperoni or your favorite Italian sausage and pop into the oven. Okay, add some mushrooms, onion and peppers if you must. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Watch your crust to determine when it is done.

Enjoy.

Friday should be pie day. Any day could be pie day, but Friday should be pie day. Legislatures should enact laws declaring such a rule. What better way to end a work week than with pie. Even better if your company gives you that pie at lunch on Fridays! Okay, now I am dreaming.

There is great diversity with pies. Fruit pies, cream pies, meat pies (a bit of a reach). I remember in my childhood, a restaurant that had strawberry pie topped with whipped cream. I am sure I am exaggerating but I believe these strawberries, stacked on end, were four inches long and two inches thick. The slices were so big, mom would make us share a slice. We would go just for the pie. I am pretty sure they served other food, but I remember the pie.

You might think strawberry pie is my favorite. It’s not. Pumpkin is number one, which I believe comes from the fact I like all things Thanksgiving! Smothered in whip cream, it is a great finish to a great meal. The strange thing is, even though I could bake a pumpkin pie any day of the year, I only make these pies from Halloween until Thanksgiving.

Warm apple pie makes your home a true comfort zone. You don’t even have to eat it, just smell the aroma of cinnamon and apples. There is nothing better on a cold sub zero day.

Here is unique way to bake an apple pie. Cut 8-10 Granny Smith apples into medium size chunks. Follow most recipes for the amount of cinnamon, sugar and butter. Instead of two crusts, though, combine the two crusts into one, center it in the pie pan add the apple mixture. Then pull up the remaining dough almost like a bag, venting at the top. This gives you an eight inch high pie! Bake as you would a normal pie watching for a nice brown crust and a filling that begins to bubble. Its not as traditional but it sure makes an eye-popping statement.

Cherry pies require a great vanilla ice cream. Its not a law, but cherry pie and ala mode were made for each other.

There are a hundred varieties of pie. Coconut Cream, Banana Cream, Chocolate, Key Lime, Blueberry, Pecan, even minced meat; everyone has a favorite.  With such a variety, boss, you could give us a different one each week for a year and never duplicate yourself. Just something for the suggestion box.

There are three foods that I could live on forever. If offered nothing else, I could live happily enjoying the three menu favorites, steak, ribs and pizza. I have been
known to live days on pizza and a great week has a couple of steak dinners and one Sunday with ribs!

Going to a steakhouse is quite a treat for me.  Normally, I get most of my steaks from a bulk outfit that offers nice cuts of meat at reasonable prices. Sometimes I use a steak sauce for dipping.   You never ask for steak sauce at a steakhouse, fearing a knife wielding chef comeflying out of the kitchen. But sauce has become an issue to one member of my family. About eight years ago, while strolling down a grocery aisle, I came upon this obscure steak marinade. What caught my eye was its name, my name! So, I bought a bottle,  figuring that I could try it once and if I didn’t like it, grab the normal steak sauce and finish the meal. I was quite surprised by this marinade. It actually reminded me of the flavor of a couple of steakhouses in town. Even more miraculous, my children liked it too.

Which brings us full circle to a problem. We recently went to visit our children at college.

Twice this semester we took them out to a steak restaurant. Each time, I noticed my daughter didn’t order steak, just a hamburger. The other day while preparing
steaks at home I asked her why she did that. No, Dale’s! What? She turned down steaks because it didn’t have her home seasoning!

She pointed out that she hasn’t had steak out since I found this marinade. Though I was humbled that she liked something I made better than these nice steak houses, I
was also dumbfounded to believe you would turn down a great steak because it wasn’t like at home.

If you want to try to impress your family with “steakhouse” quality meals, here are a couple of extras you can add to your meal. One of the most popular extras ordered
at restaurants is a mushroom topping. You can easily make this at home like I do.  Slice up 8 ounces of mushrooms (or you can buy pre-sliced) and one medium
onion (yellow is best, sliced into rings). Allow a frying pan to heat up over medium high heat.

Add a generous amount of olive oil and then add the onion. When the onion begins to caramelize add the mushrooms. Allow the mushrooms to soften. I then add a ¼ cup of good cabernet wine. Let the wine reduce to a point you can’t see much liquid in the pan. Top the steaks with this mixture and enjoy!

You can also give your steaks a more sophisticated flavor by adding a good bleu cheese topping to them. When your steaks are done to your liking, top them with a handful of crumbled bleu cheese and allow it to melt under a broiler for a minute or two. Be careful not to allow the cheese to burn. You will need to keep an eye on it while it is under the broiler.

Who knows, maybe the next time your family is at a steakhouse, one of your children will order a hamburger too!