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Food Thread: Grits? Polenta? I Say Tomato...You Say Tomahto!

What's the difference between "Polenta" and "Grits?"

About $2/pound!

Other than that I think they are identical.

We had our delightful neighbors over for dinner last night, and I served, among many other delicious foods (more anon), polenta with Parmesan cheese. They are from Texas via Tennessee and New Orleans, so they are well acquainted with the glories of American cooking, but asked what the difference was.

The answer of course is that they are identical. Oh, the Italians do a few different things with their corn meal, and I love a good chunk of fried polenta. But the American use of corn meal is second to none, and I suggested last night that the classic preparation of shrimp and grits is one of the glories of American cooking, and a dish that can hold its own against the best that the rest of the world has to offer. But...my comment about the difference being price was a bit hyperbolic. There are gourmet grits that are just as expensive as the fancy-pants polenta at the gourmet store.

Luckily even cheapo grits tastes pretty good, and I usually order it when I see it on the menu, especially in the more sophisticated food regions in America. it's usually just okay in the Northeast (probably instant), but in the South it is often excellent.

If you want a starch to go along with your meal, it's hard to beat, especially if you mix in a large amount of fat....cheese or bacon works nicely!

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If a classic Gimlet is made with lime juice, then what is the drink called if it is made with grapefruit?

A Graplet?

Fine...we're going with that. And I'm going to have one tonight!

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Longtime commenter "Moki" is the proximate cause of my recent weight gain, because I can't resist her thick pita with fresh hummus. It's also really easy to make, and the thickness can be easily varied with a rolling pin.

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There's a cooking website (blog?) called "How Sweet Eats." Yeah...whatever. I was looking for a recipe for a fantastic Kale and Cabbage Salad (just shut up!) I had a couple of times at a good restaurant, and that website's recipe seemed to be pretty close.

But...it did the all-too-common bullsh*t with 28 paragraphs of blather before the recipe. Hey...Food website writer! I don't want to hear about your bowel movements and favorite nail polish and what your kids said while you were making the dish. I want the f*cking recipe. That's it. If you play nice, give me the recipe, and it's good; I will link to your site.

But if you jerk me around and jabber like an assh*le and try to get me to click on the 17 links you embed, then I will try my hardest to ignore you and provide the information another way.

And I will! Because the salad was excellent, and is a strong contender for "Dildo's Most Surprising foods."

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48 Hour Sous Vide Beef Short Ribs. Delicious, easy, and perfect for a dinner whose timing is unsure. All it needs is five minutes on a hot grill to give it some color, and the meal is complete. The long slow cook renders the fat, but keeps the meat wonderfully moist and tender. 140 degrees for those in the know.

Give it a try; you will not be disappointed.

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The lowly Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Lowly...or the pinnacle of the baker's art? You be the judge, but as a dessert, a fresh-baked CCC with a scoop of good ice cream is nothing to scoff at. Specifically "Cookies 'N Cream" from Stew Leonard's. It's a good version because the cookie part isn't too sweet.

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Yes, the thread is a bit abbreviated. I figure many of you are celebrating Easter with family and friends, so i'll save my best stuff for next week.

Seriously, I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter; both religious and social!

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Good butter, and Flap Meat...whatever the hell that is...just send it, Broccolini that isn't $6/bunch, garlic...lots of garlic!, well-marbled hanger steaks and elk chops to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

Who are those poor deluded souls who shake their Manhattans? These are the same people who drink fine bourbon with coke, and probably shake red wine with ice too.

However, I will give dispensation to those who use maple syrup on Brussels Sprouts! I tried that and it worked nicely. I still prefer Agave, but still...

And yes, I used to demand fancy bourbon, but let's face it, $1,200 for a bottle of bourbon is just stupid, insulting, and a ghastly affront to most people's palates and wallets. I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.