First- The Dominion Harvest Mystery Box ingredients for this recipe were:
- Long Island Cheese Pumpkin (puree- recipe here- http://hebbcl.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-to-kill-long-islander-pumpkin-that.html)
I was inspired by a Rachael Ray recipe to make this polenta, but as usual, put my own spin on it. First, she always cooks with and recommends quick cooking polenta. To be clear- this does not exist in Richmond, VA. Instead, I went to the organic aisle at my grocery store (after googling "where to find quick cooking polenta in my grocery store" left me wondering around in circles) and found Corn Grits. It was not quick, but I just followed the instructions with a few variables. The instructions said to use 2 cups of corn grits with 6 cups of water. Instead, I brought 3 cups of chicken stock and 3 cups of water to a boil, then gradually added in the corn grits while stirring. Making real polenta (AKA not the quick variety) is a real time commitment... at least 30 minutes stirring... so bring in a radio and dance in front of the stove to entertain yourself. Yep... that is what I did! As the mixture thickened, I added 15oz of Long Island Cheese Pumpkin Puree, 2 tablespoons diced chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/4 cup nonfat milk. Save the milk until about 10 minutes are left to keep the mixture loose and not so gelatinous. In the last 5 minutes, stir in 1/4 cup of nice Parmesan cheese. Now, there are 2 ways to serve polenta, first is to spoon it out like grits. FYI- it will end up with the same Elmer's glue thing that southern grits do... if you can take that it still tastes great. If you can't, then you can pour it into an oiled dish and then flip the dish later and cut out to serve. For this, think Jello mold... it jiggles and wiggles but holds together! Top with a dash of Parmesan to serve.
For the beer can chicken-
Mix the following ingredients together-
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
Coat a whole 4lb chicken (that has been washed and dried with the innards removed) in olive oil and then use 3/4 of the spice mix to coat. Wrap in plastic and allow to sit for an hour.
Take a beer can and drink 1/2 of the can. Use a church key to open the mouth of the can up more, then put the rest of the spice mix in the can. Place the can on a foil pan, put your chicken over the can with the can and the legs acting as a tripod to hold it up straight, and put on your grill over indirect heat. Let cook for about an hour and a half. It will get very dark on the outside, but that is OK!
Once it is cooked through, carefully remove the beer can from the inside of your chicken. Remember... it will be HOT!!! I recommend using tongs and hot mitts!
Slice and serve!!!!
Fruit and Veggie Salad-
- 12 oz chopped pineapple with juices (get it fresh from the refrigerated section of your grocery!)
- 1/2 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds on a diagonal
- 1/2 red onion sliced
- 1/2 container (about 2 cups) of cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 red pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste
At the last minute I decided to throw the entire thing on the grill after I got the chicken off. This added a yummy smokey flavor to it and it was incredible... I HIGHLY recommend it!!!
Here is the final product-
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