Recipe - Brandy Alexander Brandy Polenta

2 (up to)
3 cup Polenta
1 ds Olive oil (mediumsized
dash)
4 Cloves garlic; crushed then
chopped (about)
4 (up to)
5 Shallots; chopped finely
Some ginger; chopped finely
4 Chopped scallions (or so)
Handful of raisins (golden
to keep contrast down;
black if you prefer)
3 Habaneros; chopped (or so)
1 tablespoon Pine nuts; about
One fourth Bunch cilantro; about
1 (up to)
2 tablespoon Ground cumin (actually;
probably more like 3 but
who knows?)
One half Lime; juice of
1 Egg
Salt
Black pepper

"jeremy j. bornstein" jeremy@taurus.apple.com

This is a codification (the first, I think) of a dish that I make fairly
regularly. Proportions are approximate.

heat the oil in a large pan, on high, until it starts to smoke. put in the
garlic, shallots, scallions, and ginger, and stir around for a little bit,
then and the cumin and stir around a little more, then add the habaneros
and stir for a minute or so.

add the polenta and mix everything up until you have many small pieces of
polentacovered ingredients. cook for a while and let the polenta toast a
bit.

add water, a little at a time. after each bit of water, stir the mixture
around until the water blends in and disappears. i probably add somewhat
under six cups in all. try to add just enough water so that the mixture
never gets soupy, but stays stirrable. when bubbles start to come up and
the mixture is thick enough so that a bubble moves everything around, turn
the heat down.

in the middle of this process, add the raisins and the pine nuts.

after you've added all the water you're going to, add the lime juice, then
crack an egg in and mix it in rapidly. i sometimes add cheese (swiss,
e.g.) but then usually i don't add the egg. now's also a good time to add
some salt and lots lots lots of freshlyground black pepper.

when that has cooked for a while, stir in the cilantro. it's done when
it's very thick and the polenta doesn't crunch when you taste it.

You can eat it now, or let it set and then eat it, or let it set, then
grill it and then eat it. I usually eat some immediately and save the rest.
Immediately after cooking, it can be mushy, but after a few minutes sitting
unheated, it starts to solidify and can be cut or sliced up up.

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