it's tempting to resent the rain. i'm trying to embrace it. sort of.

as much as we should cook

for the seasons -

buy tomatoes in august,

oranges in january,

asparagus in april -

it's often so much more

tempting to cook for

the weather.

because you can toss

peas with favas and artichokes

as much as you want -

and you may even

like it -

but it won't help anyone

forget that it's been

raining in new jersey

for three weeks, easy.

it won't make you pass over

the details, like

everyday, you come home with

your shoes looking a little

worse for the wear and

the hem of your pants,

wet again.

it will be hard to recognize

that even though it seems

like salad season,

you really just want

a bowl of soup.

or this polenta,

which i was recently reminded of.

the first time i made this,

years ago, it was hot outside

(august, hot) and by the time

i had finished stirring the pot

over a high flame and a

piping hot oven, the last

thing i wanted to do was

actually eat a slice.

so since, i have saved it for

fall

winter

and, now, apparently,

gloomy junes.

vegetarian, very fast and easy,

the only thing required is a little

forethought,

or more appropriately,

proper mise en place -

very important because

almost all of your time will

be spent, stirring the polenta

nonstop, waiting for it to come to

a boil, and after,

making sure it doesn't scorch on

the bottom.

then once this quick cooking

polenta is thick, creamy and smooth,

you quickly stir in

garlic

basil

blue cheese

salt and pepper,

before spreading it evenly into

a skillet or deep pan.

once everything is level,

take the opportunity

to slow down, because the polenta

isn't going anywhere.

this is when you can add toppings,

in an orderly fashion,

or haphazardly, depending on

which style suits you best.

tomatoes,

garlic,

mozzarella

and

more blue.

slide the skillet into

the oven and then you have

18 minutes

to make a salad.

polenta as a meal, is

a wonderful, delicious

idea, but i always feel

like we need some greens

to balance out the wedge

on the plate.

when the table's set,

the salads are out

and everything smells

so good, you can

just picture the cheese

browning and bubbling

around the edges,

pull it from the oven,

and then - and i'll warn

you, this is the hardest part -

wait.

this waiting step,

in addition to upping the original

cooking time by two minutes,

took me sadly too long

to figure out, but thank goodness

i finally did. now, i can pass

this recipe onto you without

an asterick, that would let

you know that this dish

tastes amazing, but will not

cut into a proper wedge

warm and will look

an absolute mess on

the plate.

the polenta comes out

very hot and the last thing

it wants to do is conform

into whatever cut shape

you desire. no, it is very

content to be scooped

out, looking more like

mush, or maybe to be polite

and fair to our main meal,

soft polenta.

but...like all things great,

this polenta shouldn't be rushed.

give the skillet a few extra

minutes in the oven.

once on the table,

let it hang out, get used to

its surroundings while

you enjoy your salad.

then.

and only then.

you can slice past the

(semi-seasonal!)

juicy tomatoes and

fragrant basil,

though the two cheeses -

one for melting and one

for flavor -

into the creamy, but firm,

cornmeal,

and it will be ready to

comply and come much

closer to resembling

the triangular wedge

you intended.

once on the plate,

cozy up to it. settle

in. pretend it's winter

and not a march day in

june. remember that yes,

it's raining, yes it's gross outside

and yes, it's unbelievably

annoying. but if it wasn't,

you'd probably be eating

something else.

baked blue cheese polenta with tomatoes and basil

adapted from bon appetit magazine

a big plus for this recipe is that once you've stirred the cornmeal into a creamy base and added the ingredients, you can taste the mixture (swiftly) and decide what else it needs. it was this grace period that made me decide to up the basil and add both garlic and blue cheese to the polenta - not just sprinkle it on top. i also use grape tomatoes instead of cherry, toss in more garlic and extra grated mozzarella. i use whatever blue i happen to have, but if you're in the store shopping, look for one that melts well, like buttermilk, point reyes or danish. feel free to increase or decrease the amounts, depending on what you love.

also, i usually prepare everything - halve the tomatoes, chop the garlic, grate and crumble the cheeses - ahead of time. except for the basil, because i don't want it to brown. so instead, i pluck 20 to 30 leaves, lay them into two piles and once the polenta is done, very quickly, roll them into a cigar and slice thinly.

4 cups water

1 1/3 cups cornmeal

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped and divided

30 large basil leaves, or more

6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled and divided

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 1/4 cups grated part-skim mozzarella cheese

heat oven to 450˚f. coat 12" skillet with a heatproof handle with cooking spray; set aside. (if your skillet's handle is not heatproof, or you're not sure, just wrap it twice with aluminum foil - like i do - to ensure that nothing but the cheese melts in the oven. warning: regardless of if it's wrapped or not, you'll still need an oven mitt to remove the pan from the oven.)

in large saucepot, combine water, cornmeal and salt. bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. reduce heat to medium-low and cook 3 minutes more, or until polenta becomes very thick and pulls away from the pan, whisking constantly. remove from heat; whisk in olive oil and half chopped garlic. quickly roll basil into cigar shape and thinly slice; sprinkle half on top of polenta. add 2 ounces blue cheese; whisk to combine. season with kosher salt and black pepper, to taste.

transfer polenta to prepared skillet, patting evenly. sprinkle with remaining garlic and grape tomatoes; press tomatoes slightly into polenta. sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, remaining blue cheese and remaining basil, slicing more basil, if necessary.

bake 18 minutes, or until cheese is browned around the edges and bubbling. remove from oven and let sit 10 to 15 minutes. cut into wedges to serve.