Summer Corn Glut? Try Fresh Polenta!
In the winter, polenta, sausage and greens is a dinner we probably make at least once a week. Sometimes we’ll mix it up with a rich tomato sauce or I’ll cool the polenta in a pan, slice it into squares and fry it to have with a big salad. But in the summer we’re rarely inspired to make a pot, likely because it just seems like such a stick-to-your-ribs cold weather food. But have you tried fresh corn polenta made with ripe summer corn? Now that’s a different story.
At the farmers market the other day, one of the farmers had a photo next to the big crate of corn that looked like a bowl of loose polenta. I inquired as to what it was and if he had a recipe. His response: “It’s my lunch. Every day.” I figured the conversation was ending there and he wasn’t much in the way of chit chat, so I started picking out a few ears of corn and he pulled me aside, quietly revealing the recipe for his fresh corn polenta as if it were one of the world’s best kept secrets.
Coming back home, I started googling around and realized that it’s far from it; I’ve just been in the dark on this one. Fresh corn polenta is a simple dish that, at its most basic, is comprised of fresh corn that’s grated and then cooked d wn with a little butter, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper — or anything you’d like to add to it really. It’s a dish you can easily make for one person (as evidenced by the recipe below) or if you’ve got a true summer glut, invite some friends over and go to town.
→ Get the Recipe: Fresh Corn Polenta from Alexandria’s Kitchen
(Image: Alexandra’s Kitchen)