Bacon Studded Polenta with Tomato Gravy - Ciao, Yawl!

Bacon Studded Polenta with Tomato Gravy~

Some of us were born to color outside the lines, inside the lines and sometimes draw our own lines.  Combining Italian Polenta with crispy bacon bits, then smothering it with a deep Southern Tomato Gravy is one of those meals where the lines between the countries get blurred.  What comes out of this marriage of "Ciao and Chow" is good country eating, no matter what country you're talking about.

And speaking of countries, this month the Lets Lunch Bunch (my virtual lunch buddies from all over the globe) are celebrating a very special debut of a new cookbook:

Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking with a French accent.

Ellise (Cowgirl Chef) is a true Texan who has been living, learning, teaching, growing and loving in Paris, France for the last few years.  Her story of how she embraced her authentic and true self, talents and dreams by meeting the challenge of a brand new environment is inspiring (and the recipes are down right "must-makes.")  Ellise is one of the original foodbloggers to start our unique monthly lunch meeting online several years ago.  I was there for the very first one and we all made our own versions of a BLT sandwich.  It's a great example of one of the good things that come from our tech-driven journey.

This month's challenge was to create and share a meal that represented our own past experiences and another country, too (ala: Texas and France.)  

Picking something Italian was a no-brainer for me.  I've been obsessed with all things Italian for many years and will be fortunate enough to be packing this week to visit our good friends in Cossignano, Italy and stay at their Organic Agriturismo (Fiorano.)  Paolo and Paola are part of the Slow Food Movement and are very active in Organic wines, foods and conservation. 

Agriturismo Fiorano in Le Marche

I speak a little Italian from years of studying and soaking it up, although it seems to be with a good ol' Southern twang no matter how hard I try to pretend.

My grandmothers in North Carolina made Tomato Gravy and poured it over biscuits, toast, rice and grits.  It's a poor man's marinara sauce and it's packed with tomato bits, bacon flavor and rich roux.

Polenta is ground corn meal and considered an Italian comfort food.  Depending on the region, it's served warm and loose like soupy grits, or thick and cut into sections or even baked.  If you've seen the pre-made tubes of something they call Polenta in grocery stores, please don't judge Polenta by that gross congealed yellow tube food product (smiling, but serious.)  

Making Polenta is as easy as rice. There are just a few tips for making it successfully:

1)  When the liquid begins to simmer, rain in the Polenta grains.  This means do NOT pour it all in (that makes it clump.)  Rain it in, sprinkling it gradually and stirring while it goes.

2)  Reduce heat and stir often so not to scorch the Polenta.

3)  Keep in mind, it's easy to add a little more liquid if it's too thick, but not so easy to make it thicker if you add too much liquid too quickly.

4)  Adding butter makes it a little bit looser, cheese will make it a bit thicker.

The liquid used in Polenta, like rice, can be water or stock, milk, or something in your imaginative recipe developing "coloring book."

When I made this Bacon Studded Polenta smothered in Tomato Gravy, I also ate almost the whole plate of it.  So, be careful. :D

Check below to see the many varied and delectable recipes of country fusion cooking from other Let's Lunch pals: 

Chery's Goin Pork Curry Tacos at Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
Eleanor‘s  Wok Picadillo at Wok Star
Ellise‘s Salty Lime Sablés (Margarita Cookies) at Cowgirl Chef
Emma‘s Kimchi Bulgogi Nachos at Dreaming of Pots And Pans
Felicia‘s Mexican-Lebanese Hummus at Burnt-Out Baker
Grace‘s Taiwanese Fried Chicken at HapaMama
Jill‘s Southern Pimento-Stuffed Knishes at Eating My Words
Joe‘s Grilled KimCheese Sandwich at Joe Yonan
Karen‘s Ukrainian-German Cabbage Rolls at GeoFooding
Leigh‘s Venezuelan-Italian Cachapas Con Queso at Leigh Nannini
Linda‘s Project Runway Pelau: Rice & Beans Trinidad-Style at Spicebox Travels
Linda‘s Edible Salad Totes at Free Range Cookies
Lisa‘s Sunday Night Jewish-Chinese Brisket at Monday Morning Cooking Club
Lucy‘s Coconut Rice Pudding with Mango at A Cook And Her Books
Nancie‘s Chili-Cheese Biscuits with Avocado Butter at Nancie McDermott
Rashda‘s Mango Cobbler at Hot Curries & Cold Beer
Renee‘s Asian-Spiced Quick Pickles at My Kitchen And I
Steff‘s Chicken Fried Steak at The Kitchen Trials
Vivian‘s Funky Fusion Linguini at Vivian Pei
*********

Recipe: Bacon Studded Italian Polenta-

3-4 pieces of Bacon

1 cup Nonfat Milk

1 cup Water

2 Tbls. Butter

salt, pepper

1)  In a skillet, cook the bacon on Med. until crispy, remove and chop into small pieces. Pour off the fat/grease and save for the Tomato Gravy.  Save the bacon coated skillet for cooking the gravy in also.

2)  In a deep saucepan, bring the water, milk, salt and pepper to a low simmer, stirring so the milk doesn't curdle.

3)  Rain in the Polenta, stirring constantly until the Polenta is creamy.  

4)  Reduce the heat to low, stir often so it doesn't scorch.  Now is when to add a bit more liquid if needed. Stir in the bacon pieces now.  Cook and stir often for about 15 minutes.  The Polenta should be thick for this recipe.

5)  Stir in the butter and turn out into a buttered 8x8 baking pan. Leave to room temp or chill for later.

Press into a buttered baking dish

6)  Before serving, cut into squares and triangles and broil or fry for just a couple minutes until crisp on the outside. *It can also be used without this step.

Recipe:  Tomato Gravy

1/4 cup Bacon fat (use butter if there's not enough bacon fat)

1/4 cup Flour

2-3 Tomatoes (peeled, chopped)

2 cups Stock (veggie or chicken) warmed

salt/pepper

1) Using the same pan the bacon was cooked in, add the bacon fat/butter and the flour, salt and pepper.  Cook and whisk on Med. until light brown and a nice roux has been created.

 

2)  Add the chopped tomatoes and any reserved juice from chopping.  Lower heat to Low/Med and Whisk together.

3)  Slowly whisk in the warmed stock and continue cooking on Low for about 15-20 minutes.  If it's too thick, add a little water or more stock a little at a time.  Season to taste.

4)  Serve poured over the Polenta or biscuits, rice or scrambled eggs. Mmmmm.

Congrats to Cowgirl Chef!  Hope to see you on tour!

Torta al Testo and Love of Italy - Let's Lunch

I was in Italy. That's the statement I whisper to myself when the morning comes too soon, or the day lasts too long, or a job gets in the way of life.
I was in Italy. I close my eyes and bring back the smells of little bread shops, the clicking of shoes across cobblestones, the way sunlight crossed the sky giving each ancient ruin in the Piazza a chance to shine at some point during the day.
I was in Italy. And while there, I ate well!

Torta al Testo is a traditional Umbrian sandwich stuffed with wild arugula, hand cut prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and it's perfect for a picnic any season.

Torta al Testo

I'm eager to share my pictures and experiences with you, so I'll do a 2-part post of my most recent trip to Perugia.

I'm highlighting the Torta al Testo as part of this month's "Let's Lunch Bunch". It's a group of really talented food bloggers from all across the planet who choose a different kind of lunch item each month and agree to blog about it on the same day. It gives you a chance to quickly visit a lot of fantastic recipes and lunch ideas without having to search very far. Let's Lunch Bunch for September is about Fall Picnics and includes:
CowGirl Chef - Fig Walnut Pesto
Free Range Cookie - Caramel Apple Scone
Kitchen Trials - Rustic Tomato Soup/homemade bread
Blog Well Done - Pumpkin Sub
Tiger In The Kitchen - Braised Pork Belly Sandwich
BonVivant - Tomato and Cheese

Sometimes I get on jags when I find something unique and fun to cook; I'll make it over and over. I've been making this home-made bread for Torta al Testo for everyone in the family, including a gluten free version for a friend. It's so easy to throw it together while moving around the kitchen, then hold the dough in the refrigerator til you want to roll it out, cook it off and fill it with meat, greens and fresh cheese. Sliced into crispy thin wedges, held together by the melted cheese and salty with the hot fat from Italian Prosciutto, the Torta al Testo can be a light lunch, snack or dinner

It has become my teenage son's favorite sandwich, which means he'll even let me make it for school lunches (success!)

The name actually means "Cake of the Tile" because it used to be grilled on a giant slab of stone heated by hot coals. Luckily for us, it can be made simply in a large bottomed pan (cast iron is best) on the top of our stove.

I'm showing the traditional Perugian technique, although you can also put the ingredients into a food processor and zap it all together.


RECIPE: TORTA al TESTO
(for 2 Torte)

1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
3/4 cup very warm water
2 Tbls. Olive oil
2 cups AP Flour
1 tsp. salt

In a small bowl add the warm water to the yeast, stir to dissolve and then add the olive oil. Leave to become creamy for about 15 minutes.

On a board, make a mound of the flour with salt sprinkled over it. Make a well in the center and gently pour the yeasty mixture into the well. Using a fork, gradually work in the flour, starting from the center. When a dough forms, use your hands to knead. Continue kneading for about 5 minutes into a smooth and strong dough.

Cover with a towel and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours til almost doubled. Punch down and divide into two balls.

Roll each ball out to about 8-9 inches in diameter. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Cook in a skillet on Med. heat, for about 5-7 minutes on each side. Remove to a towel and let rest a few minutes before carefully slicing in half with a long serrated knife.

After the torta is split, layer with your choice of meats or veggies and reheat under a broiler or grill til crisp. Using a pizza cutter, divide into quarters and serve.

If you read my blog, you already know how much I love Italy. This was my first time in Perugia. In my second post I'll show a little about a cooking course I took there, and about my favorite area, Le Marche. I hope you'll try the Torta al Testo - maybe over and over like me?