sweet potato polenta

Polenta has become one of our favorite foods during our time in New England. As fall begins, this version made with sweet potatoes seems appropriate.

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
8 cups water

Bring water to a boil and cook potato until it is soft. Puree the liquid and return to stove at medium heat. Add

2 cups corn meal

a little at a time, whisking the meal into the water so there are no lumps. When all the corn meal is mixed in, add

1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream (you can leave out the cream and add a little more water)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

and continue to stir until mixture thickens and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. This will take ten to fifteen minutes. When it is the consistency of very thick porridge, choose your serving options:

• spoon into bowls, drizzle with maple syrup, and serve;
• pour into a 13x9 pyrex dish and cool in refrigerator (or freezer, if you need to do it faster) and then slice and pan fry;
• pour into pyrex dish, cool, and then bake at 350 for about twenty minutes until firm enough to cut.

Goes great with any fall entree.

Peace,
Milton

tomato chutney

I had a bunch of tomatoes from out garden that were ripening faster than we could eat them, so I played around with a new recipe today.

5 cloves garlic, peeled, coarsely chopped
2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 or 2 dried chipotle peppers
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Put these ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree. In a large non-reactive stock pot, put

2 lbs fresh tomatoes (if they taste like a tomato should) or
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes
2 bags mixed dried fruit (mine had apples, pears, pineapple, & apricots)
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple
1 large onion, diced
1 cup cider vinegar
1 small can pineapple juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

Bring this to a boil and add the puree from blender. Lower heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until chutney becomes thick. Stir it occasionally at first, and then more frequently later as it thickens. Turn heat off and allow the chutney to cool before storing it in your refrigerator.

Makes about 2 1/2 quarts and it turned out to be both tasty and spicy.

Peace,
Milton