Sabrina Thompson (photo)

Huesos Deliciosos

I grew up with plain polenta (just cornmeal + water) on my plate made by my Italian side of the family, usually as a bread substitute and always alongside lamb, roasts, wild game, or spicy sausages. As an adult, I loved how easy and quick polenta is to make, but I've managed to never make it the same way twice, since I'm always seasoning it differently. Trial and error has resulted in a few errors, but seasoning it this way has been a huge success.

by Sabrina Thompson

Suggested Watching

Children of the Corn (1984, rated R)

Difficulty

Rrrrgh . . . . Brains . . . .
Click here for definitions of difficulty levels.

Download

Full page recipe (pdf format)
3x5 card recipe (pdf format)

You Will Also Need

• Bone-shaped cookie cutter (the one I used is approximately 4.75"/12cm L, 2”/5cm W at its widest ends, and 1”/2.5cm D)

Chef's Notes

Use a whisk to mix the polenta; it will be easier to use than a spoon and the polenta will be much more smooth.

Sesame oil is preferable because it’s got that nutty flavor, but if you don't have any you can substitute olive oil (nice olive flavor but it’s a milder taste than sesame) or use vegetable oil as a last resort (it is relatively flavorless, but will do the trick).

Serve these bones warm or cold with salsa or guacamole, or as a side dish to pretty much anything meaty.

The AntiCraft assumes any well stocked basic kitchen to have certain things on hand. (Click for our basic kitchen items list.)

Serves 4. Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: overnight.

Directions

Grease 9x13" glass baking dish with oil.

Sabrina Thompson (photo)
polenta is ready when thick
click image to enlarge

In a medium-sized stock pot, bring water to a boil over high heat. Add taco mix and bouillon cube so they can dissolve as the water comes to a boil.

Leave heat on high and slowly whisk in cornmeal.

Continue to leave heat on high and continue whisking until the mix has thickened. It’s important to keep mixing with whisk, otherwise it may catch and burn at the bottom of the pot; also the cornmeal won’t properly absorb all the water. When it’s ready, all the water should be gone (approximately 5 minutes).

Remove pot from heat, and if you wish to add cheese whisk it in now.

Sabrina Thompson (photo)
spread evenly in pan
click image to enlarge

Pour polenta into the glass dish as evenly as possible, scooping out what’s in the pot with a spatula and flattening it as evenly as possible.

Let it cool on the countertop for at least an hour, and then in the fridge for at least 12 hours. Even though the polenta is ready once it’s cooked and can be eaten at this stage, it needs to set for at least 18 hours to harden enough to be served in squares or cut into other shapes.

Sabrina Thompson (photo)
use spatula for support
click image to enlarge

The next day, use the bone shaped cookie cutter to press bones. With the bone-shaped cookie cutter I had, I managed to get 9 pieces. I recommended that polenta at this stage be either pan fried or toasted in a toaster oven to dry it out a little more to help it hold its shape. Be sure to use a spatula when handling the cut shapes, as the polenta may still break.

Assemble Crossbones:

Leave one bone whole, and lay on a plate using a spatula. Take a second bone, cut out approximately 1"/2.5cm out of the center, and take the two ends and line them up on either side of the whole bone on the plate.

About

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Edited by Zabet Stewart