POLENTA BRINGS WARMTH TO A COLD WINTER’S SUPPER

Pantry-friendly comfort food topped with stovetop heated chickpeas, tomatoes

During the winter months, when sunshine is scarce, cozy suppers are what I crave. For me that means soups and stews, pastas and comforting bowls of grains. Lately, I’ve been turning to creamy polenta topped with chickpeas and tomatoes to satisfy my cravings. If it’s especially chilly where you live, here’s a bonus: This dish calls only for canned goods and a few other pantry staples, so you won’t need to leave the warmth of your kitchen to make it. The recipe starts with sauteing an onion in olive oil — as many great recipes do — with whole fennel seeds, garlic powder, salt and pepper. A can of chickpeas adds substance and protein, while fire-roasted tomatoes bind it together with the fruit’s characteristic sweet-tart flavor profile and a kiss of smoke. (If you don’t have fire-roasted tomatoes, you can use regular canned diced tomatoes and add a sprinkle of smoked paprika as a substitute.) While the chickpea and tomato mixture does its thing, make the polenta. Polenta is a simple porridge made of cornmeal that turns the humble ingredient into a dish worthy of royalty. It’s made by bringing the liquid of your choosing to a boil — I used water in my testing, but if you have stock on hand, it lends more flavor — and slowly whisking in the ground corn in a steady stream to prevent lumps. Although you can find packages labeled “polenta” in the grocery store aisle, and I prefer the texture of a coarser grind as stated in the ingredient list below, whatever cornmeal you have in your cupboard will do. Lastly, a bit of butter adds creaminess and flavor. I exercised restraint in the amount called for so as to not scare anyone who looks at the nutrition information, but know that the delightfully decadent bowls of polenta you’ve enjoyed at restaurants can contain multiples more. So feel free to use the recipe amount as a starting point if richness is what you’re after. The polenta serves as a welcoming canvas for the simply seasoned chickpea and tomato mixture, providing me with a sense of calm and comfort in mere minutes — I hope it will do the same for you. And if you’re in the mood for an extra flourish, a sprinkling of grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese certainly wouldn’t hurt.