sugar beet harvest has begun. if you are like wtf is a sugar beet?  i have a post coming for you in the near future. the purpose of this post, however, is to discuss how this affects me. (me me me.) and more specifically, my meals.

assuming there aren't any harsh elements, sugar beet harvest runs 24 hours a day, with each farmer getting an awkward shift of 2am to 2pm or the opposite. egg has the latter, which means that my suppers are all alone in an empty house. (i'm not being melodramatic, i'm just referencing a lost in the trees song.)

not that i wouldn't jump at the opportunity to have a meal with him tonight, but i quite like my me time. i can sit in the corner of the bedroom with a jar of cornmeal, my camera, and a little bit of bach, for as long as i please. i can get away with eating a ton of frozen vegan burritos (which are my new favorite thing?). i can sort of get away with never showering. and most importantly, i can eat polenta with cheese and butter. three things that he will not go near.  

so i am sitting here with a very full belly to tell you that i have come quite a far way since my ghetto corn dog creation. today's polenta included apples, fresh picked by mum and me, and my last bit of rogue smokey blue that i smuggled over state lines in a dorky insulated lunchbox. i splurged on some local prosciutto from the town market, and... i used butter. i've been almost exclusively cooking with olive oil lately, so maybe it was that i'm still feeling badass from last week's lye romp, but i used butter and it was so good that now i'm scared i'm going to want to use it much more often. 

ok when does beet harvest end again? 

blue cheese polenta with apples, prosciutto, and pearl onions 

makes 2 side servings or 1 hungry girl serving  

ingredients 

1 1/2 tb butter 

1 small apple, diced

10 pearl onions, chopped in quarters (feel free to sub cipollini onions... i would have used those if i found them!) 

2 c water

1/2 c polenta

salt and pepper, to taste

a pinch of chili flakes (optional) 

1/3 c of chopped blue cheese, plus more for sprinkling

6 slices prosciutto, cut into thin ribbons

  clues

in a medium pan, heat butter, apple, and onions over medium heat until the onions are soft and starting to brown. remove 1/4 cup of the mixture and set aside to use as garnish.

add water, polenta, and seasonings. cook until desired consistency, stirring frequently. 

add the 1/3 cup of cheese and stir until melted.

remove from heat. sprinkle on the prosciutto, remaining cheese, and the reserved apples and onions. finished with a few cracks of black pepper. 

enjoy in cozy clothes because this is a cozy meal! 

-yeh!