Pretending its Summer

It was actually warm today! By warm I mean sunny and in the low 50s, which if I still lived in Cali would be cold but I suppose I’m slowly acclimating to East Coast weather. As a result of the weather, I just wanted to pretend it was spring or summer, and return to my summer diet which largely consists of fruit, bread, cheese and white wine.  So the next best thing to it actually being summer (which would be bad cause before then I need to get a job, finish my thesis and convince my best friend to move here) is eating summery foods!

Today was an experiment, no recipe, just things I liked compiled together – polenta with summer medley. Step one – cook polenta/cornmeal in vegetable broth until its thick and doesn’t taste grainy. Don’t cook in water – broth just makes it so much better. Spread polenta in a pan and let it cool. (My polenta was kinda lumpy – downside of using cornmeal and not proper polenta). Step 2 – chop and saute garlic and onions in butter. Add chopped tomatoes and a roasted red bell pepper (toss bell pepper in olive oil and roast before-hand at 400 degrees until the skin kinda bubbles off). Step 3 – shred some cheese, I chose sharp cheddar, but mozzarella, fontina or  parmesan would also work. Step four – compile. Cut a square of polenta, top with the sauteed mixture and then cheese. Step 5 – enjoy with a glass or two of white wine (my choice was a white blend from the Languedoc region of France – one of my favorites and under $10).