This recent addiction came on
when Lexi Crandall and I discovered a little piece of heaven on earth. It is
located at 680 South and 900 East in Salt Lake City. Behold, Café Trio. Ah, just picture a chorus of
angels descending from heaven singing hymns of praise surrounding this sacred
vicinity.
Image from triodining.com
The
Trio Experience
It is a modern restaurant that
serves traditional Italian food.
When I say Italian food I mean
it. None of the crappy Americanized Italian food. It blows Olive Garden out of
the water. Trio’s claim to authentic Italian dining is backed up by Lexi’s
expertise. She traveled to Italy on a Study Abroad last summer. She knows that
Trio is the real deal. This restaurant is brilliant to say the least.
Lexi ordered the pomodoro braised
meatballs served over a creamy polenta. At first I thought she was insane.
Granted, I was not a fan of meatballs. Especially when it was on a bed of some
unknown creamed substance. I thought it was weird to order something like this.
Then I tried a bite.
My life has never been the same
since.
My fork glided right through the
tender, moist meatball. The steam rose off the soft pink beef as I split it in
half. I stuck my fork into the small piece, and slid it through the smooth polenta.
The sauce coated both the meatball and the polenta. I raised the fork to my mouth. The moment it
touched my tongue, I knew it was love. The meatball almost melted in my mouth.
The polenta was rich and creamy. An excellent duo. I scraped the plate clean. I
did everything I could to get every last bit of the dish into my mouth. I owe a
big thanks to Lexi for sharing her appetizer. And by sharing, I mean letting me
devour the whole thing.
The Basic Construction of the Dish
Pomodoro is a simple tomato sauce. Tyler
Florence has basic instructions on how you can prepare it. You can find it
here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/pomodoro-sauce-recipe.html
The sauce consists mainly of
tomatoes, onion, garlic, and seasonings.
This isn’t the exact recipe that was on Trio’s meatballs and polenta,
but it will send you in the right direction.
The meatballs were insanely moist
and seasoned perfectly. If you aren’t familiar with a meatball, you need to get
out more. If you want a good recipe, ask your grandma. Family recipes are the
second best thing to Trio.
Now to the main event:
The
Polenta.
Before my first encounter with
this magnificent grain, I was living a subpar life. Polenta can change your
life everybody! After having no clue what in the world it was, I did some
research.
(TIME inc. Health, March 2005, vol. 19 Issue 2, p170-172)
Image from frenchrevolutionfood.com
Sounds weird to eat with
meatballs huh? That is what I thought. You have to give it a chance. You’ll end
up giving it your whole soul nonetheless.
After leaving the restaurant, my
cravings began. For weeks all I wanted was another delectable dish of Trio’s
polenta and meatballs.
The
Creation
Due to the long commute, I had to
result in playing around with polenta myself.
After looking through a plethora
of recipes I created my own. It’s based on two recipes I found from Ina Garten
and Bon Appetit Magazine. Their original recipes can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/creamy-parmesan-polenta-recipe.html
For Alisa’s POLENTA
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1 cup water
1
cup polenta (NOT corn meal)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup heavy cream
Start
by adding the chicken stock, water, and salt to a large pot. Bring this to a boil. Once
it is boiling add the polenta slowly while whisking constantly. If you whisk it
continuously it will ensure that you won’t get lumps. After all the polenta is
added, you’ll turn the temperature down to medium low heat. Simmer the mixture
for about fifteen minutes, or according to the package’s specific cooking
directions. After it has thickened and is still creamy, add the cheese, butter,
and cream. Once it is all melted and incorporated, devour.
You’ll be licking your plate clean!
All in all,
You can check out www.triodining.com
for more information on their restaurant and their menu. If you are in the
area, I highly recommend stopping by. I give it five stars. You won’t be
disappointed. You’ll probably even run into me there.
