cannelini bean chutney with grits fries

this dinner idea is thanks to a post at thursday night smackdown. it sounded healthy, looked delicious and the ingredients were all to be found in my pantry!
except, i didn't have polenta, so i substituted grits. and for the accompanying dish, i made it up.

for the grits "fries", cook the grits according to the directions on the box... then pour it out onto a baking sheet, and spread it until it's about 1" thick. place the baking sheet in the fridge to set up a bit, while you start cooking the chutney.
chutney is sort of a salsa/stew/veggie dish. it has a tomato-onion-garlic base, and you can add just about anything to it after that.

cannilini chutney
ingredients:
3 strips of bacon, in big cubes
1 can of organic crushed tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp masala
1 can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
2 curry leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt & pepper, to taste

steps:
in a saucepan, start frying up the bacon squares. once they're cooked, set them aside to drain; now you have some bacon grease! to that add some extra olive oil, the chopped onions, and garlic. when they start to brown a bit, sprinkle the masala over it and mix to incorporate. then add the crushed tomatoes and cannelini beans and allow it to heat through. stir occasionally while the chutney cooks, and season with salt and pepper. half-way through cooking, add about half of the bacon pieces back to the pot and stir. drop the curry leaves in (optional) and just when the chutney is about done, take them out.
> while the chutney cooks, you can work on the grits fries.
once the grits are set and cooled off in the fridge, cut them into steak-fries-sized strips. heat a griddle pan and add some butter to melt. place the strips on the pan and brown on each side and until it's warmed through.

when the chutney and grits fries are done, plate it. you can add some freshly chopped parsley and extra crispy bacon to the top, or just dig in!
enjoy!


cPe 2008