deliciousness

tuscan lamb with garlicky tomato sauce and polenta

via real simple
serves 4

1 teaspoon olive oil
8 small lamb loin chops (about 3/4 inch thick; 2 pounds total)
kosher salt and black pepper
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
3/4 cup instant polenta
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Heat oven to 400° F. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the lamb with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings. Add the garlic to the drippings and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, wine, rosemary, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, 2 to 3 minutes.Nestle the lamb in the tomatoes, transfer the skillet to oven, and cook, 10 to 12 minutes for medium-rare.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Gradually whisk in the polenta. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in the butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Serve with the lamb and tomato sauce.

polenta

via andrew carmellini’s urban italian
serves 12

2 cups dried polenta (not the quick-cooking stuff)
6 cups whole milk (or water)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grarted parmigiano-reggiano

optional:
2 bay leaves
1 whole branch thyme
1 whole branch rosemary

Take the polenta out of the package and dump it into a pourable mixing cup or similar vessel. (It’s important to do this so that the polenta can be added to the mixture evenly.)

Pour the milk (or water) into a large pot. Add the salt and pepper. (If you’d like to flavor the polenta, add the bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary, leaving the herbs on the branch.)

Bring the milk to a rolling boil on high heat. (If you’ve added the herbs, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes to infuse the flavors. Remove the herrbs with a slotted spoon, then bring the milk back up to a boil.)

Pour the polenta into the boiling milk in a steady stream, whisking as you go. there should be a lot of liquid, since the polenta will expand and soak evrything up as it cooks; if the  mixture is at all thick or sludgy at this point, add some hot water.

Scrape down the sides of the pot with a wet spatula, so that any bits that splashed up on the sides don’t burn and flavor the polenta.

Reduce the heat to low and cook the mixture at a very low simmer (bubbling like a tar pit - slowly, popping up every once in a while, instead of bubling all over). Stir it vigorously once in a while with a whisk, and keep wiping the sides down with the wet spatula as you go - but don’t worry about it too much if the polenta starts to stick on the bottom. Just be sure to leave the burnt bits as they are: don’t scrape them up into the polenta so they flavor everything.

Let the polenta cook until it’s soft but slightly grainy on the tongue and the mixture has achieved your preferrerd level of thickness, about 2 hourrs. Add water - about 2 cups total over the course of the cooking time, added at intervals as it cooks. If you like it thicker, don’t add liquid, or add less.

Remove the pot from the head and add the butter, olive oil, and parmigiano-reggiano. Whisk the mixture well so that the internal heat of the polenta melds everything together.

Taste, season with more salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

picture via