My posting has been a little erratic lately, I know. All apologies. But with good reason! I’ve been busy getting my garden bed ready, and planted (so far, so good!) and have been laying the groundwork for an exciting new project that should be ready to launch later this year. I’m staying mum for now, but I’ll give you this teaser…

Part of this new project has to do with food (shock!) and I’ve been busy in my kitchen tinkering away, tweaking, and tasting. Since I used to post my “weekends in the kitchen” series semi-regularly, and I’ve not posted much in the way of recipes for a while, I thought I was long overdue. At one time I was impressed by big fancy and ornate meals, but have, in the past year become far more smitten with simple dishes that allow the beauty of each ingredient to shine. I think back on all the “special meals” I’ve had prepared for me in restaurants where nothing on the menu was even remotely vegetarian. Even in very high-class restaurants, with high-class chefs, I’ve been profoundly disappointed by my meals. When faced with the challenge of not using meat or dairy and relying only on vegetables and grains, most chefs buckle and end up serving something as bland as an unseasoned, heavily steamed plate of vegetables! To me, the test of a true chef is a) the ability to cook vegetables well, and b) someone who’s always up for a challenge, however far it stretches them out of their comfort zone of meat, eggs, and cream.

So in the spirit of simple (and seasonal), I present you with this: Polenta with Fresh Asparagus & Peas!

If you can, head to your local farmers market, because asparagus season has started!! It’s short, only about 6-7 weeks, and it almost always goes fast. Local asparagus will always taste infinitely better than those dried out bunches you’ll get from the grocery store which were likely shipped from the other side of the planet. Fresh peas haven’t really started yet, so frozen is okay here. I used fresh frozen peas from my garden last summer.

Ingredients
1 cup polenta
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, divided, or equal amounts of olive oil
1 1/2 cups shelling peas, fresh (frozen is okay too)
1 bunch of asparagus, snapped, and trimmed into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
1.  Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the peas and asparagus and let them boil for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon, and quickly run under cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.

2.  In another medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil. Slowly add the polenta, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Simmer polenta and stir until thick and creamy and polenta is fully cooked through, from 15-45 minutes depending on the thickness of the grind.

3.  When the polenta is close to finishing, heat a skillet over medium-high and add the butter or olive oil. Saute garlic for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant and soft, but not burned. Add the peas and asparagus, and sprinkle with salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes more, until heated through.

4.  Serve polenta in shallow bowls topped with peas and asparagus.

enjoy!!