February 2010

Coarse-ground degerminated cornmeal such as yellow grits (with grains the size of couscous) works best in this recipe. Avoid instant and quick-cooking products, as well as whole-grain, stone-ground, and regular cornmeal. Do not omit the baking soda—it reduces the cooking time and makes for a creamier polenta. The polenta should do little more than release wisps of steam. If it bubbles or sputters even slightly after the first 10 minutes, the heat is too high and you may need a flame tamer, available at most kitchen supply stores.

GUMBO, the Southern stew, is like many regional dishes: there are nearly as many interpretations as there are cooks. Most include the common Louisiana trinity of vegetables: green peppers, celery and onion.

Some include meat, often a spicy sausage like andouille, in addition to or in place of shellfish. And while some gumbos rely on okra as a thickener, others use a roux, a combination of flour and fat cooked until brown and tasty.

Meena Kumar doesn’t use standard curry spices when she makes zucchini because, she says, “Every vegetable needs its own specific blend of ingredients to bring out the uniqueness of the dish.’’ Because zucchini is a soft and watery vegetable with a delicate flavor, she says, it needs few spices. Here, she uses chili powder and mixes ground cashews and sesame seeds into the vegetable, which is garnished with fresh cilantro.

Mostarda is an Italian condiment, something like a chutney, that is typically served with meat. Fresh and dried fruits are simmered with vinegar and seasoned with mustard for a little kick.

Leftover risotto, loosened with a little water, is delicious reheated. But you can also make rice cakes. Stir beaten eggs into the chilled leftovers, then shape it into disks, coat with flour, and sear in a skillet. Like stir-fried rice, crisping the cakes adds a new dimension of flavor and texture.

Use the same skillet to cook four eggs, sunny side up or over-easy. The soft yolks make an instant sauce over the golden mushroom-filled rounds.

Risotto has a reputation for being a labor-intensive dish that requires your undivided attention. It does take 30 minutes of constant stirring, but if you can boil pasta, you can cook risotto. When you stir chicken broth a little at a time into short-grain rice, the starches inside the rice kernels release slowly and lend a remarkable creaminess to the dish.

As vegetables go, cauliflower is something of a brute. With a sturdy texture and bold flavor to match, it pairs well with other ingredients that also have gusto. Here I offer a no-nonsense accent for cauliflower: a hefty dose of garlic and anchovies.