Corn "Grits"!

I'm not quite sure how the single May '94 copy of Gourmet magazine came into my hands all those years ago, but I have always held onto this cherished issue filled with various menu suggestions for entertaining, such as A New Orleans Courtyard Dinner, A Pan-Asian Luncheon in Maui, and A Lunch in the Woods. I have grilled marinated London Broil and soaked cherry tomatoes in pepper vodka from the Sailing Picnic menu and have hosted a Croquet Lawn Party (in my apartment) featuring salmon rillettes, lime Southside cocktails, and gorgeous chicken salad tea sandwiches rolled in smoked almonds.

Most recently, I found a tantalizing recipe for Roast Loin of Lamb with rosemary jus and hominy grits tucked into Gourmet's back pages, courtesy of Joe Castro from The English Grill in Louisville. First of all, I used a frozen pork loin we had on hand instead of lamb and it worked beautifully. I decided to skip the accompanying cheese grits and make a side out of fresh corn that was about burst from the refrigerator. I thought of elote, the spicy, grilled Mexican corn preparation loaded with cojita cheese and endeavored to make corn "grits" instead. The adapted recipe for grits is below. With very little tampering, and basically just subbing corn for the grits, I made a new side and suggest you do the same. See my notes/alterations in italics to make these simple, special grits!

Joe Castro's Hominy Cheese Grits
1 slice bacon (Try a teaspoon or so of liquid smoke instead, no fat!)
1 TB minced shallot
1 TB minced celery
2 cups low salt chicken broth (I used about one cup or so, simmered down)
Four ears of corn (strip and cut off kernels)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup crumbled soft mild goat cheese
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 TB unsalted butter (I only used 1/2 TB of butter!)

In a large heavy saucepan, saute bacon, shallot, and celery over moderately hight heat, stirring, until bacon is browned. (Add your corn now to brown too, then add broth and simmer to further cook corn until liquid is reduced to half a cup or so. Blend in the cheeses, thyme, and butter to a creamy consistency--and you're done!) Serves 4.

Add hot sauce if you wish and do enjoy this creamy, cheesy, deee-licious dish!

Linguine with Pesto, Potatoes, and Green Beans

                                               Artwork by Peter

I’ve been making Trenette col Pesto Genovese for years, toiling over the homemade pesto, boiling and peeling the potatoes, and grating the Parmesan myself. Baby and I wanted a simple Sunday lunch recently, over a glass, or two, of a crisp white wine—so I cut to the chase and made the whole thing in about a half an hour. An accompanying, spirited salad composed of just lettuces and a resolute vinaigrette was entirely enterprising!

The actual recipe from Saveur is here and below. I found a good ready made pesto (or a pre-packaged brand name pesto such as Buitoni might work as well, I imagine) which already has Parmesan cheese in it. A bag of microwavable haricot vert green beans were ready in a snap. Instead of peeling the potatoes and boiling them, I purchased a can of Gefen whole potatoes, which I think are quite good! The Del Monte variety is also surprising.

So here’s what to do: while the water for the 1lb. of pasta gets to a boil, halve the potatoes and broil them with a drizzle of olive oil until nicely browned. While cooking the pasta in salted water, put the beans in the microwave for the required 2-3 minutes and let sit to cool for a minute or so before handling. 

Strain the pasta, reserving a 2 tbsp. of the pasta water to bind the sauce, drain the oil from the potatoes and toss all of the ingredients together, adding the delicate potatoes in at the end. Top with grated Parmesan, grind some black pepper to it and done! 

Here we have something that is truly elegant and yet quite hearty—and nearly as delicious as it would have been had I doubled the time and effort. Although our Trenette col Pesto Genovese may be served anytime, I usually only make anything involving wildly evocative basil in the summer.

Do enjoy!

Trenette col Pesto Genovese
Ingredients
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
3 tbsp. pine nuts
2 cups small basil leaves (tightly packed), washed and dried
Coarse salt
1⁄2 cup grated pecorino sardo or parmigiano-reggiano, or ¼ cup of each
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Ligurian (or another mild and fruity oil)
1⁄2 lb. green beans, trimmed
1⁄2 lb. new potatoes, scrubbed and peeled
1 lb. trenette, tagliatelle, or linguine

Instructions
Crush garlic and pine nuts in a large mortar to make a smooth paste.

Add basil to mortar a little at a time. Crush to a coarse paste, grinding leaves against side of mortar with pestle. Add a pinch of salt and continue crushing, then gradually stir in cheese.

Drizzle in olive oil and continue working until pesto is very smooth and no large pieces of basil are visible. Set aside.

Cook green beans for about 3 minutes in boiling water. Remove with a slotted spoon. In the same water, boil potatoes until tender, about 5–7 minutes. Drain, cool, and slice.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and cook pasta until tender, about 8–10 minutes. Drain, but reserve 2 tbsp. pasta water and add it to pesto.

In a large serving bowl, toss pasta, green beans, potatoes, and pesto. Season to taste with salt and serve immediately.

 
VARIATION: To use a food processor, place pine nuts, garlic, and salt in the processor bowl and blend to a paste. Add basil, drizzle in oil, and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in grated cheese by hand.