With my quinoa adventure behind me, I thought "Hey, if quinoa is a seed, you can surely cook a pumpkin seeds, right?" And since my last go-round with polenta went down in stinking flames (see the Losers list), I figured it was better to try and dress up my next batch with texture, not spices. Not bad, I'd say. Different, but not bad.
INGREDIENTS:
Pumpkin seeds
1 c. dried, shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
enough water to cover
salt to taste
Polenta
1 c. cornmeal
2 2/3 c. water
1/2 dried chili pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. raw sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1. Add pumpkin seeds to a pan or a small pot. (Yes, I was too lazy to wash a pot, but...whatever.) Cover with water and add salt. Sorry that I can't tell you how much; it was really a guessing game and I was tired. If you've ever made boiled peanuts before, it's similar to that.
2. Simmer until fairly soft. Again, I have to use a boiled peanuts reference, which is probably lost on anyone west of Texas.
3. Combine cornmeal, water, and chili pepper (which, by the way, you could probably leave out in favor of adding crushed red pepper after cooking; it didn't really do much).
4. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and cover. Stir occasionally until cornmeal is soft and smooth.
5. Add garlic powder and sugar. Stir to combine.
6. Mix in cooked pumpkin seeds.
While pumpkin seeds clearly can be cooked (and can be very delicious on their own, by the way), they never truly soften completely so when you mix creamy polenta with al dente seeds, the texture is kinda funky. It tastes good so I think it would take the addition of another ingredient -- say, zucchini or some kind of meat -- to balance it out.
Knock yourself out; I'd like to see what you try.
Official Grade: A-
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