Whos Hungry - Part 5 Polenta & Peppers

D.I.Y. Meals For The Trail

My fifth recipe again comes from one of Andrew Skurka's Favorites.

Andrew Skurka’s Favorite Recipies #5

Polenta & Peppers

Key Stats

• Recommended serving weight: 5.6 oz
• Total calories: 700
• Caloric density: 125 cal/oz

Like instant potatoes, polenta absorbs a significant amount of water, at a 4:1 volume ratio. So this meal cooks bigger than the measly 2.5-oz bag of polenta would suggest. Backpackers with smaller appetites should reduce the amount of polenta by 0.5 oz. Those wanting more calories or a higher caloric density should increase the quantity of olive oil or Parmesan.

Ingredients

• 2.5 oz || Polenta, aka grits
• .75 oz || Olive oil
• 1.0 oz || Parmesan (grated)
• .75 oz || Peppers (air-dried)
• 0.5 oz || Tomato powder
• 0.1 oz || Garlic
• Salt, papper, and red hot pepper flakes to taste

Chunks of dry salami are a wonderful addition to this meal, for both flavor and protein.

At-home preparation

When solo, I bag all of the  ingredients together save for the olive oil. I carry the olive oil in a 1-, 2-, 4-, or 8-oz Nalgene Polyethylene Bottle depending on the trip length.

In a group, each member is given their own bag of polenta. The other ingredients are communally carried, and distributed in the field. I use a 1-liter Platypus Soft Bottle to carry the olive oil. After the first use, some oil inevitably gets onto the threads and will spread everywhere unless it is protected with a 1-gallon plastic bag.

Cooking instructions

Andrew likes his meals soupy. To each their own, it comes out great either way:

For many reasons, I make all of my meals soupy. So my instructions are simpler:

1. Add at least 12 oz of water to my stove pot.
2. Add peppers to give them more time to soften up. If all the ingredients are mixed, I do my best to siphon off the peppers. It’s inconsequential if some of the other ingredients also end up in the pot.
3. When the water is almost boiling, add the polenta and all other ingredients. Bring the heat back up for a 30- or 60-second simmer. Stir to avoid splatter.

For perfect at-home consistency, add 10 oz of water. Do  not add the polenta until there is a boil, and stir vigorously to avoid burning the polenta to the bottom of the pot.

Finished Meal

Gathered Ingredients

My Rating

• 2.5 out of 5

What I liked:

• Good flavour.
• Very filling.
• Easy Preparation.

What I disliked:

• Not a big fan of Polenta.

What my fellow tasters thought:

• Not a big hit, but some liked it better than myself.

My thoughts and recommendations:

• I think I would try this with instant rice rather then Polenta or even Couscous.
• If you like Polenta or Grits, give it a go, the flavour is good.
• Other than boiling water, all of this does work in a Zip Lock Freezer bag if that's how you prefer to do it, be sure to use a cozy either way to hold in the heat.