POLENTA GRATIN WITH MUSHROOMS AND FONTINA

If you have a fear of making polenta, don't like to spend the time it takes stirring to make it creamy, or you buy those tubes of pre-made polenta, then I'm here to change your life.

This is an oven baked polenta that comes out creamy with only two stirs. Really! I didn't believe it until I tried it. All you do is put cornmeal, water and salt in a gratin dish. One stir. Bake for 45 minutes and add butter and Parmesan cheese. One more stir...that's it. You can choose your toppings. I used mixed mushrooms and Fontina cheese. My niece Brittany used zucchini, onions, and tomatoes. This was our main course for dinner but it would also make a nice side. I think it would even be good topped with cooked ground beef, cheese and a marinara sauce.

POLENTA GRATIN WITH MUSHROOMS AND FONTINA

1 cup corn meal (polenta)

4 cups water

Salt

4 TBSP. butter

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

10-12 oz. mushrooms (I used crimini and portobello)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 sprig fresh rosemary, minced (about 1/2- 1 tsp.)

1/4 pound Fontina cheese, sliced or Provolone grated

Heat the oven to 350~. Put the corn meal in a 2 quart gratin dish, and stir in the water, milk,  and 1 tsp. salt. Bake for 45 minutes. Stir in 2 TBSP. butter and the Parmesan cheese. Return to oven and cook 15 minutes more.

Heat 2 TBSP. butter in a non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring frequently until the mushrooms give up their moisture, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the rosemary and continue cooking until the mushroom are dry, about 5 minutes.

When the polenta is done, taste and add more salt if necessary. Scatter the cooked mushrooms over the top of the polenta and then tear the soft Fontina slices into shreds and distribute them over the top of the mushrooms. Return the pan to the oven until the cheese has melted and begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Circle B Kitchen

A DIFFERENT CAPRESE SALAD

It's almost summer and our tomato plants are just starting to produce. Every year it's different. We always plant a few of our favorite varieties but the rest of the hillside is full with volunteers. It's a guessing game as to what each plant will bear, a super fun game we get to play every year.

We live on caprese salads all summer and this salad is a nice change from a traditional caprese.

The tomato is wrapped in prosciutto, drizzled with olive oil and baked until the tomato is hot and the prosciutto is crispy. Serve it with fresh mozzarella and fresh basil.

This week Laura of Chef Laura at Home 
chose our Food Matters Project recipe from Mark Bittman's cookbook. Laura chose Tomato Carpaccio. You can find the original recipe here. For the other members take on this recipe click here.


A DIFFERENT CAPRESE SALAD

Wrap ripe whole tomatoes in a thin slice of prosciutto. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put tomatoes on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 390~ for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of tomato. Bake until tomato is hot and the prosciutto is crisp.

To plate, take a fresh mozzarella ball and tear off pieces. Serve with tomato and fresh basil leaves. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and freshly ground black pepper.

Recipe slightly adapted from Once Upon a Plate.

SPICY FRIED RICE WITH BEAN SPROUTS, CHICKEN, AND PEANUTS

This was a tasty and healthy fried rice recipe. It uses pad Thai ingredients (bean sprouts, fish sauce, and peanuts). This recipe was part of our Food Matters Project and  was chosen by Keely of Keely Marie.  I used chicken in mine, Mark Bittman suggests trying it with shrimp or tofu. Keely added pineapple to hers and she used purple rice! You can find her recipe here.

We had just pruned our Kaffir Lime tree so I added some leaves to the stir-fry and served it over a bed of leaves. It gave it a great lime flavor.

SPICY FRIED RICE WITH BEAN SPROUTS, CHICKEN, AND PEANUTS

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup sliced scallions

1 carrot, chopped

3 cups bean sprouts

8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into pieces of the same size

1 tablespoon minced garlic, or to taste

2 cups cooked long-grain brown rice, preferably chilled

1 egg

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons nam pla (fish sauce)

Salt and black pepper

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, preferably Thai

1 or more small fresh hot green chiles (preferably Thai), seeded and sliced

Lime wedges

Put 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When it’s hot, add the scallions, carrot, and bean sprouts and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Lower the heat if the mixture threatens to scorch. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

Add another tablespoon of the oil to the pan, followed by the chicken pieces; cook, stirring occasionally, over high heat until the chicken is no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add to the bowl with the vegetables, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

Put the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet, followed by the garlic. About 15 seconds later, begin to add the rice, a bit at a time, breaking up any clumps with your fingers and stirring it into the oil. When all the rice is added, make a well in its center and break the egg into it; scramble it a bit, then incorporate it into the rice.

Return the chicken and vegetables to the pan and stir to integrate. Add the coconut milk and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has boiled off, just a minute or so. Add the fish sauce, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in the peanuts, basil, and chiles. Serve with the lime wedges.

Recipe by Mark Bittman

PASTA WITH CANNELLINI BEANS AND SAUSAGE

Our host of The Food Matters Project this week is Erin of The Goodness Life. Erin chose Mark Bittman's recipe for Cannellini with Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Sausage. I used Amaranth Greens instead of Brussels Sprouts.

For about a month each year these greens show up at the Farmer's Market. Only one person grows Amaranth so when I see those beautiful greens any menu plans go out the window and these will appear on the table. You can read more about Amaranth Greens here.

I added some orchiette pasta along with a spicy Italian turkey sausage, garlic, onions, wine, chicken stock, greens and fresh rosemary. It was an amazing one pot meal (I cooked everything in the pasta pot).

For Mark Bittman's recipe click here. For the other members take on this recipe click here.

PASTA WITH CANNELLINI BEANS AND SAUSAGE

Serves 6

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

8 ounces orchiette pasta

8 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

1 medium onion, diced

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. finely chopped rosemary leaves

1 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock

2-15 ounce cans Cannellinni beans, rinsed and drained

1 bunch Amaranth greens (or baby spinach)

olive oil

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add salt and pasta. Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until tender according to package directions.

Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until brown, about 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and rosemary and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add white wine, chicken stock and beans. Bring to a simmer, then add amaranth leaves and heat until wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in cooked pasta.

Ladle into bowls and serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipe adapted from Buddy Valastro. 

 

 

VIETNAMESE PORK CHOPS

No, it is not burned. Well maybe the eggplant in the background had a bit too much flame going on, but that pork chop had the most amazing caramelized char ever. This T-boned chop will be my go-to pork cut from now on. The bone helps keep the meat moist and juicy and the marinade is over the top delicious.

VIETNAMESE PORK CHOPS

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc nam)

2 TBSP. unseasoned rice vinegar

1 TBSP. lime juice

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

4-1" thick-cut bone-in pork chops (about 2 1/2 lbs. total)

Lime halves for serving

Whisk shallot, brown sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, lime juice, and pepper in a shallow dish. Pour marinade in plastic bag and add pork chops. Refrigerate, turning bag occasionally for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

Serve with lime halves.

Marinade can be reduced and served on the side but we didn't think it needed it.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

FATTOUSH

This has been my year to focus on Middle Eastern Food. I love the combinations of fresh ingredients and herbs. My new cook book Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi has been amazing, not only to cook from but it is a great read too.

My favorite salad from the cook book is a spinach and date salad that I made here. My second favorite salad came from a recipe in Eating Well, and it is for fattoush. Pita halves are sprinkled with sumac and toasted until golden and crisp. Broken pieces and added to romaine and diced vegetables. Thinly sliced mint rounds it out and it is tossed with a very light dressing of lemon juice, olive oil and sumac. This is the perfect summer salad and in a few months almost all of the ingredients will be growing in my garden!

FATTOUSH

      2 6-inch whole-wheat pitas, split

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 1/4 teaspoons ground sumac, (see note), divided

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 large head romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped

2 large tomatoes, diced

2 small salad cucumbers, or 1 large cucumber, seeded and diced (peeled if desired)

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh mint

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place pita halves rough-side up on a large baking sheet. Brush with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sumac. Bake until the pita halves are golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. When cool, break into bite-size pieces.

     Whisk lemon juice, salt, pepper and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon sumac in a      large  bowl. Add lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, mint and the pita pieces; toss to coat. Let 

     stand for 15 minutes before serving.      

    Recipe from Eating Well

CHOCOLATE TOFU ICE CREAM

Chocolate Tofu Ice Cream...I can't believe I said that, made that, and loved that! It was our Food Matters Project recipe for the week. The recipe was chosen by Meg of Fledgling Foodie. No eggs, or cream, just four ingredients and better than regular ice cream.

I used dark chocolate from Trader Joe's, sugar, vanilla, and soft, silken tofu. In less than 10 minutes this was in the ice cream maker and ready to go. The tofu gave it a smooth, creamy texture. Right out of the ice cream maker it tasted like a cross between rich pudding and chocolate ice cream. That was our favorite time to eat it. After sitting in the freezer it hardened and was delicious too, only not as silky and creamy.

This will be my go-to recipe from now on. It is perfect for a dinner party, just turn on the ice cream maker when you sit down for dinner. It is really rich so a small amount goes a long way making it perfect to serve in a pretty shot glass, demitasse or a small martini glass.

For other takes on this recipe visit our blog here.

CHOCOLATE TOFU ICE CREAM

3/4 cup sugar

1 pound soft silken tofu

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine the sugar with 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool a bit.

Put all of the ingredients (including the sugar syrup) in a blender and puree until it is completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instruction. Or transfer the mixture to an airtight container and freeze until it is firm, at least 4 hours; then break into chunks and puree in the food processor. Or simply let thaw a bit and eat as soon as it's scoopable.

Recipe by Mark Bittman