Fresh Corn & Corn Meal Polenta with Sautéed Tomatoes & Burrata

Ahhhhh it’s September (way to point out the obvious Julia) and I’m 100 percent pushing summer out the door like it ain’t no thang. Goodbye sweat stains in strange places, you have been anything but kind to me, and I blame you for my nonexistent dating life (kidding, I blame a ton of other stuff too, obviously. Nothing better than taking the blame off of oneself. Sleep better at night this way ;))

But here’s the wonderful thing about early fall weather: crops are still producing like rabbits and the produce  on stands is almost 10 times sweeter than it was in June. So snag all the corn and ‘maters now while you still can, and make a TON of polenta, like this 😉 AND/or freeze away. Trust me, when you can whip out some delicious tomatoes in November at T-giving or whatever you do in November, you’ll be the talk of the town. Or the dinner table. Or honestly, noone will probably talk about you or the fact that your produce is MIND blowing, but you’ll have made a ton of tongues + bellies super happy.

So here we are, fresh corn meets corn meal, for a deliciously fresh tasting polenta topped with sautéed tomatoes & creamy burrata.

Now, I wish I could say I had the bright idea of making fresh corn polenta all on my own, but I didn’t. A little while back (see my Eckerts post) I was invited to prepare a meat dish alongside plant based chef, photographer, writer, does a lot of other incredibly talented things as well, Sherrie owner/blogger at With Food & Love. She made this fresh corn polenta that literally blew minds that evening.

Though I firmly believe you can’t touch something that is already golden, like her recipe, I decided to take a spin on it myself to give it more of a comforting introduction to fall foods. I took fresh sweet corn and mixed it with some gritty corn meal creating a little more fullness and giving it that familiar grainy texture that you may be used to (tomato sauce served over polenta was definitely a summer and fall staple when I was young). A dish that gives you all the feels.

Recipe Notes:

You can skip the fresh corn bit for ease, and use frozen sweet corn instead if that is all you have access to.

If for some reason you are unable to purchase burrata, ricotta cheese is a fine substitute. I would refrain from using mozzarella, unless your polenta is hot enough to melt some of the cheese. Creamy works best here.

Want to bring even more comfort to this dish? You can serve it with these summer beef braised short ribs OR try the winter version. Or you can literally throw any leftover meat or sauce that you have in your fridge that is about to expire. This dish is so incredibly versatile, making it a staple in my household.

Fresh Polenta with Sautéed Tomatoes & Burrata

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  40 mins

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Ingredients

Polenta:

• 4 ears of sweet corn, kernels off cob (about 2½ cups if using frozen)
• 1 cup corn meal
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 3 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup grated parmesan
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Tomato Saute:

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp california garlic powder
• 1 pinch sugar
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Cheese:

• 8 oz Burrata

Instructions

1. First bring water to a boil in a medium sized pot, lower heat to low and add corn off cob, simmer for about 10 minutes.
2. Remove and drain corn, let cool for a couple minutes (to avoid a blender explosion due to steam) add to a food processor and pulse until corn is smooth. Set aside.
3. Next in a wide pan over medium heat add 2 cups vegetable broth and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium low. Begin to gradually add your corn meal to pan, while whisking constantly (to avoid clumps).
4. Continue to whisk corn meal over medium low heat every 2-3 minutes for 20 minutes. Cover in between whisks. ***This step is important, constant whisking is key.
5. After about 20 minutes, the corn meal will have thickened to a desired polenta consistency and now is the time to add your processed fresh corn. Whisk together and then add your 3 tbsp butter, ¼ cup parmesan.
6. Whisk some more and then salt & pepper to taste. If polenta becomes too thick, or if you need to loosen it a little (especially when making ahead) just add a little bit of vegetable broth at a time, continue to flavor as needed (more butter, parm, salt & pepper).

Tomato Saute & Burrata

1. In a small pan over medium heat add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Let heat and then add 2 cups of cherry tomatoes.
2. Saute tomatoes for about 4 minutes and then add your garlic powder, pinch of sugar, salt & pepper to taste.
3. Remove from heat and serve over warm polenta. Break burrata up into about 4- 6 chunks and serve with tomato saute over polenta.

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