Corn Pudding is also called Polenta by Italians and Mush in the southern US. I started to use Mush but there are those who are not from the south that may have been turned off by that name.
When I was little, I loved corn meal mush as a hot cereal. My dad told me that when he was a kid, his parents ran a boarding house for railroad workers. My grandmother had run out of oatmeal to cook for breakfast and she made corn meal mush, one morning, to serve to the boarders. One of the workers asked her what it was. She said it was Corn Pudding because she did not want to say that it was called Mush. I was so surprised, as an adult, when I found out that Italians made the same thing and called it Polenta. When I told my dad, he had a big laugh. So that is why we are having Chicken Grillades and Corn Pudding.
2 pounds of Chicken Breast, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 cup of Flour, divided
Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder
4 Tablespoons of Bacon Drippings
1/2 cup of Oil
1 Red Bell Pepper, coarsely chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, coarsely chopped
1 large Sweet Onion, coarsely chopped
1 whole Stalk of Celery, not a rib but the whole thing) cleaned and coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons Garlic, minced
1 14.5 ounce can of Diced Tomatoes
1 cup of Dry White Wine
1/4 cup of Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon of dried Thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon of Salt
1/2 teaspoon of Pepper
1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce, optional
2 Bay Leaves
Cut chicken breast into 3/4 inch cubes.and place in a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Using 1/2 cup of flour, toss the chicken until all of the pieces are coated. This will use most of the flour. Heat 2 Tablespoons of Bacon drippings in a large stock pot over medium heat. Once the drippings start to shimmer, add half of the flour coated chicken. Brown chicken on all sides, remove to plate. Use the other 2 Tablespoons of bacon drippings and the second half of the flour chicken. Once that has browned, remove and set aside.
In the same stock pot, add 1/2 cup of oil and the other 1/2 cup of flour. Reduce heat to low. Stir constantly until the flour has browned. I brown my roux to until it is a medium brown but some people cook it to a chocolate brown. This is strictly your preference. What ever you decided, make sure that you cook the flour, otherwise the sauce will have a doughy flavor. Add the vegetables and garlic. Let the vegetables cook until almost tender. Add the can of tomatoes and then using the same can, add an equal amount of water. Add the wine, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, pepper, hot sauce and bay leaves. Then return the chicken to the pot and cover. Simmer on low for an hour, stirring frequently. After an hour, remove the lid and let the sauce reduce. Let this cool before serving.
Corn Pudding
2 1/2 cups of water
1 cup of Corn Meal
1 teaspoon of salt
2 Tablespoons of Margarine
additional water
In a tall stock pot, bring 2 1/2 cups of water to boil. Mix corn meal, salt and 1 cup of water together. Slowly add corn meal mixture to the boiling water, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low. Add an additional cup of water and allow to thicken. Stir constantly. This will take about 15 minutes. Once the corn meal has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Allow to cool before serving.
To serve, place 1/4 cup of corn pudding in a bowl and top with chicken grillades. Serve with hot sauce.
Enjoy!
Deloris
Printable Recipes: https://sites.google.com/site/basilandrosemarys/chicken-grillades-and-corn-pudding
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