Last night's dinner fare was tasty steak with boiled vegetables and a red wine & cranberry jelly sauce. Delicious! However I went a bit overboard on the veges and made almost double what I needed. So this evening I had leftover vegetables and not much else as the fridge is on the lean side until I hit the markets and do grocery shopping tomorrow. One rubbery carrot, a few eggs, a tub of yogurt and some frozen potato chips does not a meal make. I was at a loss about what to do for tonight's meal.
A blogger I read once made an entry about 'using up' those supplies that sit in the pantry, being creative on how to cook what you have rather than buying more. This is useful not only for ensuring that you use pantry supplies before their due date, reducing food waste, but also for when the supermarkets have already closed for the day.
With this in mind I eyeballed the dried supplies in my pantry for inspiration.
Barley seeds. Nup. Rice... *pull a face* Not tonight. Tuna - I'd make sushi but for the lack of mayonaise and nori paper. Tuna mornay? No pasta. *sad face* Tapioca. WTF? Polenta... hmmm.... polenta!
And that's how Cheesy, Creamy Polenta Vege Mash came to be on my dinner plate tonight. An idea born of desperation and laziness it became a very tasty reality and on my list of comfort foods to cook when in a pinch.
1/2 L of hot water and 1/4 L of chicken stock are boiled together in a saucepan. 160g of polenta is added to the boiling liquid in a steady stream, stirring it through immediately. 1 cup of boiled vegetables are added along with 1/4 - 1/2 cup of grated cheese and a generous splash of low fat cream. As the polenta thickens, remove it from the heat. Serve and eat while deliciously hot.
The lazy comfort food when the fridge is empty and the pantry isn't offering up any gourmet feasts.
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