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Sunday, August 14, 2011

Garbanzos with Polenta Cakes


I recently cut my hours at work. My husband's starting a full time Physician Assistant training program which means he'll be away from home lots and lots and lots. And lots. So I went from being a full time working mother of four with lots of help from my husband, to being an almost full time working mother of four with almost no help from my husband. Somehow I thought that working six hours less a week, cramming the same amount of work into less hours, would feel relaxed. Slow paced.


I envisioned walks in the park with my sweet babies. Hours of play-doh and nursery rhymes. I was wrong (and not only because my kids would throw eggs at me if I tried singing nursery rhymes. Do you even sing them?).


So where does an almost full time working mother of four find time to make polenta cakes? Well, I'm somewhat schizophrenic in the kitchen. Most days I prepare basic, simple recipes that feature less than five ingredients and take two pots or less. But every once in a while I tell myself that I have to prove something to someone. That making complex dishes that require shaping and stewing and dirtying 16 pots proves that I'm a good mother. So I do. And then I collapse in bed - sink full of dishes and table barely cleared - and promise that I won't do it again. I will not make buttery tarts for dessert on weeknights. I will not roast beets for salad and stain both my hands and all my counters.


Interestingly, this dish, fancy as it sounds, was not all that difficult. Yes, it takes a bit of advance prep. But it doesn't use all that many pots, and the ingredient list isn't all that long. And it's good. Really, really good. Prove that you're a good mother / father / husband / wife. Make some today.

Garbanzos with Polenta Cakes
Serves 4-6

Polenta Cakes: 
3 cups water
1 cup polenta / corn grits (here are the ones I like)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil for frying


Garbanzos: 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced in rings
4 cloves garlic
a generous handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1-2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1 can of garbanzo beans, drained
salt and pepper

First, start the polenta cakes. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the polenta and salt and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Stir often to prevent scorching, and cook for about 1/2 hour until the mixture is very thick and doesn't pour. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and cheese. Spoon the polenta into a large flat baking dish and smooth it out. Set aside to cool for at least an hour. (Longer is fine.)

Next, start the garbanzos. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and then saute the onion till translucent. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and oregano. Cook for about 5 minutes longer. Add the beans and cook till heated through, about 15 minutes. Season and set aside.

Now, shape and fry the polenta cakes. Use a round glass to cut the polenta - which should be hardened by now - into even circles. (I use a 3-or-so-inch round.)  Heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the polenta cakes for about 5 minutes per side. They should take on a nice golden color.

Serve the garbanzo beans next to the polenta cakes, garnished with yogurt or guacamole if desired.




Linking this up to Weekend Bloggy Reading.

16 comments:

  1. Great post! I will definitely be putting this dish on my to-do list :)

    I just recently stumbled on a website (http://caloriecount.about.com/) that has a "Recipe Analyzer" available for its users - you copy and paste a recipe and the serving size and it creates a nutritional label for the homemade meal! It could be a good addition to an already fantastic blog! :)

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  2. When I was young, my Mother used to have to force me to eat polenta. We called it fried mush. Now, I wish my Mother were still alive so I could tell her how good it really was.

    Your recipe looks wonderful, especially since it has garbonza beans. I eat beans at least 3 times a week.

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  3. Love cooking with polenta. I don;t think it gets enough credit. The idea of pairing it with the beans is genius! I cant wait to try this

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  4. I love polenta and I love garbanzos,...looks like a perfect match.

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  5. It's been far too long since I had a polenta cake! These are enticing with the garbanzo bean topping! The same amount of work in less hours? You're awesome.

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  6. POLENTA CAKES. Where do you live? I'm on my way!

    Good luck with everything...sounds like things are going to be hectic for awhile. My cousin went to PA school and if your husband has any questions, I'd be happy to pass her email address along!

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  7. I'm impressed, with both your polenta cakes and your fitting the same amount of work into fewer hours! Love this combination of garbanzos and polenta.

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  8. Mmmmm these sound good indeed. What a great pairing too. Never easy being a Mum. I'm constantly struggling with 2, and you have a job and 4! Bow!!

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  9. I'm going to say your kids don't like nursery rhymes. I bet your voice is lovely.

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  10. Oh man--I hope the transition goes OK for you. That sounds like it could be a stressful time, but I hope you'll be able to find inner peace amidst the chaos.
    And your polenta cakes look DELECTABLE! Oh man. =)

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  11. I love making polenta to bake, fry, or grill. I find that is keeps really well if you make a slab of it ahead of time, and have even frozen leftovers in the past for a quick meal.

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  12. We used to juggle two high-powered careers and three kids. Like you are concluding, fancy dishes and major food experiments were reserved for weekends (along with making the giant batch of beef stew or the seven lasagnas for the freezer). Now that we are down to one job, the cooking has increased in complexity--and so has the chauffeuring. So I have decided there never is quite being the time you expected, no matter what... Good luck--you'll do great (even if it doesn't always feel that way).

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  13. Even without a job, I limit the complicated cooking to only once or twice a week. There just aren't enough hours in the day!

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  14. It's always such a temptation to embark on complicated recipe projects... Although I rarely end up following through, opting to settle with just a component of dish or simplifying the recipe. There really just aren't enough hours in the day! The polenta cakes look so good though, they would be worth any effort. :)

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  15. Hm, I've never cooked with polenta. These look quite interesting!

    I enjoy my kids more now that they are past the little kid stage. And if they don't want to sing, they don't want to sing. But my daughter, my youngest, loves to act and draw and sing - we can't make her stop.

    I learned with kids to go with their personalities - I talk books with my reader, I enjoy films with my filmmaker, and I watch theater a lot with my daughter (or of her).

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