This is one of those recipes that I’ve been waiting to do for months. I’d heard about Polenta on the table and swiftly wrote it down in my already huge “to eat” list. Polenta on the table is an Italian dish where soft polenta and ragu or stew is served on a Spianatora (wooden table) with everyone dispensing with plates and instead digging in with a fork. I loved the idea instantly, the thought of this very communal way of eating and I queried everyone Italian that I knew who in turn queried other Italian people that they knew about where to purchase a Spianatora. The answers came back that there wasn’t anywhere here to buy one here but that they could purchase one from Italy for me or get a friend to send one. I didn’t want to trouble others for that and when one woman suggested using a big thick chopping board as a replacement I finally had my Spianatora of sorts.

It’s incredibly easy, much easier than you would think and of course the biggest bonus is less dishes to wash up (always good in my book). And of course you could use any other meat aside from pork or you could substitute the quantity of meat with mushrooms or other vegetables to make a vegetarian version.

Usually the best weather for this is Autumn or Winter as it’s a deliciously warming dish but I mentioned it to my friend M a few months ago and she was enthusiastic. So I invited her and her boys who I knew would love this way of eating over. Need I point out how fun it is for kids to eat this way, they’ll think they’ve died and gone to heaven, although with 2 hungry and rambunctious boys, we needed to put down some place mats to ensure that our dining table didn’t get ruined with trails of polenta and ragu (although we resorted to giving them small plates in the end). We told them that if anyone broke the “retaining wall” of polenta before the centre and bottom polenta was scooped out then the game was lost. This ensured that the boys didn’t do what boys love to do and that seems to be destroying or smashing up things (which in turn saved my dining table).

Inti, with his ragu streaked right cheek enjoying himself

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If you pick up any form of media lately, aside from Britney’s comeback and Madonna’s botox, you’ll also read about the credit crisis going around in the world nowadays. And one of the effects of this crisis is reportedly the increase in sales of SPAM, the much maligned canned, gelatinous spiced ham. It’s famous for being loved in Hawaii and enjoys a reputation only marginally better than Heather Mills. According to the article Spam “seems to do well when hard times hit,” said Dan Bartel, business agent for the union local. “We’ll probably see Spam lines instead of soup lines.” Velveeta, that sort of cheese, much like SPAM is sort of meat is also experiencing a surge with people still wanting to put food on the table in an approximation of what they bought when the budgets were more robust.

The following recipe was from an article in Time, where top chefs gave out their favourite SPAM recipes. I flicked through all of them and the one that caught my eye was of course SPAM sushi by Chef Kerry Simon of Simon in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Along with SPAM it’s also filled with cucumber, avocado and sesame seeds. The choice was obvious and instant although I also earmarked the Flyin’ Hawaiian SPAM burger. There’s also SPAMghetti Carbonara, Green eggs and SPAM and SPAM Pineapple fried rice.

I don’t mind SPAM in fact, but the nutritional information panel puts me off somewhat but in the name of making a recession proof sushi I thought I’d give it a go. I like my SPAM cooked, slightly crispy on the outside much like the way I like my Devon sandwiches. I won’t pretend to dislike it, there’s something comforting about a Devon and tomato sauce sandwich and the same goes for SPAM. I’ve never tried it with rice though so I was intrigued. It’s not what you’d call a very cheap meat here in Australia though, with a can costing me almost $5. But it was surprisingly good. The original sushi roll recipe called for SPAM to be cut into matchsticks but I prefer more SPAM in my sushi and would suggest a thickness of 1.5cms x 1cm (approximately I mean, you don’t need a ruler). It also doesn’t make much of a difference in taste whether the SPAM is cooked or not although it would if you wanted to venture out into a giant SPAM nigiri. Out of the two I preferred the Giant SPAM nigiri as did my husband.

In Austin Minnesota there is no SPAM snobbery with 13 restaurants with SPAM items on the menu and there is even a 16,500 foot large SPAM museum with the tagline “Sure Beats an Art Museum” where one can purchase a SPAM tie, sweatshirt and earrings (let’s hope in a plastic rather than a fresh version) or try packaging the “sweet pork magic” into 12oz cans. There are also SPAM festivals, and locals have fond memories of SPAM brownies. And perhaps the SPAM has gone to my head but I’d be willing to try the SPAM brownies too, all in the name of research you do understand.

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