Snapper Puttanesca with Fried Polenta

 
Snapper Puttanesca with Fried Polenta

Polenta:
1 scant cup polenta (gritty corn meal)
2-3 cups water or chicken or vegetable stock
1-1/2 teaspoons salt (you may need more salt)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup grated queso cheese (cheese I had on hand)

Boil water (or stock) and whisk in polenta a little at a time to ensure no lumps form. Turn down heat and cook polenta till it starts to thicken about 5 minutes or so. Switch to a wooden spoon, cover and cook on low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so polenta doesn't stick to the bottom. Remove from heat and stir in butter till melted, then grated cheese till melted. Pour polenta into a well buttered an 8 or 9 inch baking dish and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Polenta may be made a day or two ahead of time.

Puttanesca Sauce:
bit of olive oil
1 small can anchovies chopped (or less if you prefer)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 garlic cloves micro-minced
2 cans diced tomatoes (usually San Marzano tomatoes are used)
3 tablespoons capers, drained
3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives sliced in half

Put olive oil in a medium saucepan and add anchovies, oregano, and peppers and bloom till fragrant about 2 minutes. Next add garlic and cook for one more minute. Add tomatoes, capers and olives, cover and cook for 30 minutes till sauce thickens. Watch so it doesn't over reduce in moisture. Traditionally in Italy puttanesca sauce is used with spaghetti. I think mine was too thick, but it looked fine in the pan.

I lightly breaded and sautéed the snapper till crisp but not cooked through and added the fillets to the puttanesca sauce to finish cooking. In a separate pan the polenta didn't fry up very well. Perhaps my pan was not hot enough or I didn't use enough oil. But the meal was delicious. I wasn't sure Gary would like the polenta, but he liked it. I think I might make some polenta for a breakfast meal in the future. Stay tuned for more recipe developments coming up soon. Also coming up is a special story from the past. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.