Not Exactly the Belle of the Ball

That's what my Mom said about Jenny when I first sent her the bio posted on the Washington Humane Society's website. Clearly my mother is crazy (see below for photographic evidence of how wrong she was) and she has since redacted this statement.

"I'm just saying, you couldn't have adopted a tabby or something?"

As much as looks shouldn't matter when it comes to your grandcat, you can't deny that it doesn't matter for food. I think it's safe to say that taste trumps smell/sight/touch/sound when judging our food, but you can tell a lot about food from looking at it, and to have a truly positive eating experience what's on your plate ought to be visually appealing.

Let's just say this dish wasn't exactly the belle of the bowl.

After an accidental hiatus from reading Healthy Delicious, I checked back in to scout for good fall recipes. I figured I hit the jackpot with Pumpkin Polenta with Chorizo and Beans. For one thing, I can't say no to pumpkin in any form, and I was intrigued by the idea of using it to season potentially bland polenta. Blah blah, black beans and chorizo, but the polenta was what reeled me in.

The polenta is also what did this dish in visually.

Let's take a look at the recipe:

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 links chorizo, casing removed and crumbled*
• 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cups black beans
• 1/4 cup cotija cheese

Add butter and chicken stock to a medium saucepan set over high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and add cornmeal and pumpkin. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and becomes smooth (be very careful during this step! The mixture will bubble and pop and its very hot if it splashes on you!)

Meanwhile, set a sautee pan over medium heat. Add oil. When oil is heated, add the onions and cook until they begin to soften. Add the chorizo, and cook through. Add the vinegar, cumin, cinnamon, and beans. Cover and cook until heated through – about 5 minutes if cooking from frozen.

To serve, divide polenta between dishes. Top with the chorizo and bean mixture. Sprinkle the cheese over it all.

No problem, right? Wrong. I had beef broth on hand, which I subbed for the chicken stock, thinking it would help beef up (oy) the flavor of the polenta. I thought to myself, "the beef broth will surely dull the beautiful color of the pumpkin polenta, but it'll be okay. It's just me eating it, so what does it matter?

Well, it does.

Look at that steaming pile of...don't say it.

I have another picture that's even worse, but I'll spare you. Without that bright orange contrast (or the ability to properly crumble sausage), it's just a little sad looking. Don't get me wrong, it was absolutely delicious, and I was anxious to get home from class on Wednesday to have leftovers, but when I make it again I will definitely go the chicken or veggie stock route and avoid unfortunate visuals.

Policy Implications

• The way your food looks matters, particularly when you are like me and you cook one dish that's meant to last you for several meals. To that point, this recipe held up quite well through reheatings (it was an absolute champion compared to last week's slimy chicken and noodle soup I only made it through with the help of cayenne pepper), with just a little extra broth thrown in to soften up the polenta.
• Apple cider vinegar! How about that! I use balsamic vinegar frequently, but it never occurs to me to use apple cider vinegar. I will have to experiment more with acidity.
• It's also important to note that this was the first time I've cooked pork...ever. It's not like I keep kosher. Cheeseburgers, shrimp, scallops, oysters- no problem (although I don't eat about 75% of that list because I'm a broke grad student). I subbed hot Italian sausage for chorizo since that's what was on sale, and made inappropriate mohel jokes to myself the whole time I was removing the casings. Anyways, I did not die of guilt, nor was I struck down by lightning, but I think I may be cursed anyway so why not just pile it on and get some delicious meals out of the process.

Next up: two finished shawls and whatever next week's Giant circular says I can plan meals around!