Polenta Challenge!!

Last week Steve gave me the ingredient of polenta to use this week.  I think I've made this once or twice.  I knew it had cornmeal in it.....that's about it. LOL  So I searched online for some inspiration!  And I got it.  Since it was cornmeal, I first thought maybe a variation on a corn fritter, but I don't really like them to begin with, so I went a different direction.  After finding a yummy sounding polenta recipe (thank you Alton Brown!), I knew it was going to end up a creamy pot of scrumptious.  But what to do with it to make it creative and different, and still maintain that ooey gooey deliciousness??  What else is kind of the same consistency that could be adapted??  Hmmm....yes!  I got it!  Potato cakes.  Golden fried delicious crunchy outside, ooey gooey inside.  So then I found a potato cake recipe online to use as a guide.  Thus my inspiration was there....and just a side note, I could not find andouille sausage at my small town grocery store, so I bought this Hillshire Farms Gourmet Smoked Sausage with Jalapeno (see Steve, two ingredients AGAIN and you gave me that one too last week! hehehe).  I also think any spicy sausage will work with this pretty well.  Below is the recipe:

The sausage I used tonight

Sausage Polenta Cakes

Ingredients:

·         2 Tbsp olive oil

·         ¾ cup red onion, finely diced

·         1 stalk celery, finely diced

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         2 tsp diced jalapeno

·         4 cups water

·         4 cubes chicken bouillon

·         1 cup coarse ground cornmeal

·         1/2 lb andouille sausage, cooked, drained & cooled (or other spicy sausage/smoked sausage)

·         2 green onions, diced

·         ½ cup Mexican blend cheese

·         1 cup all purpose flour

·         Cajun seasoning

·         2 eggs

·         2 Tbsp milk

·         2 cups Panko bread crumbs

·         Olive oil for frying

·         Black bean & corn salsa

·         1 Roma tomato, diced

·         Sour cream

·         Parsley for garnish

Directions:

1.       In a large sauce pan, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium high heat.  Add red onion, celery, and a dash of salt; sauté until onions are translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

2.      Reduce heat to low, add garlic and jalapenos; sauté 1-2 minutes being sure not to burn the garlic.

3.      Turn heat to high, add water and chicken bouillon cubes, bring to a boil.  Gradually add cornmeal while continuously stirring.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 35-40 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes to prevent clumps.

4.      Once creamy, transfer to a large mixing bowl, stir in sausage and green onions.  Let cool for a little bit before adding shredded cheese, mixing all ingredients well. 

Polenta before adding sausage and green onions

5.       Line a 9x13 dish with parchment paper and transfer mixture to dish.  Spread to an even thickness and refrigerate several hours until mixture is a semi-solid form.

6.      When ready to finish the dish, prepare three small bowls.  In the first, combine the flour and Cajun seasoning to taste.  In the second, combine the eggs and milk, mixing well.  In the third, combine Panko and Cajun seasoning to taste. 

All coated and ready to fry!

Three bowls ready to go!

   7.       Lift parchment paper from the dish entirely and cut into 12 equal sized squares.  With each square, dredge in seasoned flour, coating completely.  Next dip in egg wash, allowing excess to drip off.  Finally dredge in seasoned Panko, coating completely.

8.      In a large skillet, heat enough olive oil for frying over medium heat.  Fry cakes 3 at a time (or less if you have a smaller skillet) to avoid overcrowding.  Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until a golden brown.  Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. 

Mmmm....frying deliciousness.

9.      To serve, place cakes on a plate, add a spoonful of black bean & corn salsa on top of each cake, along with diced tomatoes and sour cream in the center.  Finish with parsley on top.

Mmmm....yummy polenta cakes!

Reflections:

I admit, I was a bit worried about how this would turn out.  I don't make polenta hardly ever, and potato cakes just as often.  But to my sweet surprise, they turned out freaking awesome!  Fried just perfectly, the Panko added a very nice crisp, and when fried, the center becomes the ooey gooey deliciousness of the original state of the polenta.  Chris's reviews were 5 stars for creativity, and 5 for taste.  Woo perfect score!  We both agree....it was a nice balance of spice, creaminess, crunchiness, a tiny bit of sweetness from the cornmeal, and very filling.  I only had 2!  We also both agree, definitely a keeper for the family cookbook! :-)  We can't think of anything we'd like to add or change, but it's a very versatile recipe.  I'm sure you could do something similar with chicken and other ingredients.  The possibilities are endless!  Try it out, let me know how you like it!  Bon Appétit!