This meal was a great discovery for me- the realization that I can incorporate one of my favorite foods (cheese grits) into an Italian dinner, posing it as the ever so fancy "polenta" which is in fact the same thing as grits. (NOT the same as your instant grits however) I love cheese grits for breakfast, and they pair nicely with shrimp, or jambalaya, but somehow I've missed the delciousness of polenta in my Italian cooking. It turned out savory and creamy, the perfect pair with the sweet tomato sauce and rich porcini, rosemary, ground beef meatballs. This recipe is bound to turn any grits-hater into a polenta lover! Not to mention how easy the meatballs are to make- broiled and then finished off in the tomato sauce. No slaving over a pan and worrying about evenly browning the meatballs, OR having to clean up the greasy mess afterward. All in all, this was a definite winner! Recipe adapted from Serious Eats.
Ingredients:
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs*
2 tablespoons milk*
1 1/4 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus one whole stem
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 jar of tomato sauce- about 3 cups
1 1/2 cups dry polenta
2 tablespoons butter
*Note- I forgot to add the bread crumbs and milk when I made these and they turned out fine. But who's to say it wouldn't make them better? I'll try it out next time...
Directions:
Bring one cup of water to a boil, add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt, cover, and remove from heat. Let them steep for 15-20 minutes and then drain, reserving the liquid for the tomato sauce. Chop up the mushrooms finely and reserve.
In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, milk, 1/4 cup cheese, chopped rosemary, 2 tablespoons parsley, garlic, and olive oil. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Add half of the porcini mushrooms, and gently mix well until just combined.
Form the meat mixture into balls, about 1 1/2-2 inches in diameter. I made 20 total, but it doesn't matter how many you make as long as they are pretty much the same size. Set your oven to broil (high, if it gives you the option), and meanwhile bring 5 cups of water to a boil with 1 teaspoon salt, for the polenta. Place the meatballs on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and broil for 8-10 minutes.
While the meatballs are broiling, combine the porcini liquid, remaining mushrooms and parsley, whole rosemary stem, and tomato sauce in a pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. The porcini liquid adds an additional dimension of flavor to the sauce, along with the fresh rosemary.
When the meatballs are done broiling, remove them from the oven and add directly to the sauce to finish cooking. This will also allow them to soak up some of the delicious sauce and stay juicy. Taste the sauce and add more seasoning to your liking. I ended up throwing in some red pepper flakes to balance out the sweetness. Keep the pot uncovered to reduce the sauce down a bit.
When the polenta water comes to a boil, whisk in the dry polenta, cover and simmer, stirring pretty often with the whisk to avoid clumping. It should thicken up pretty nicely in about 15-20 minutes. Add the butter and remaining shredded cheese, and taste for additional salt and pepper.
Serve the polenta in bowls, topped with the meatballs and sauce. Garnish with additional rosemary and/or more cheese and serve hot.
One thing we don't eat enough of is salad, and we're making an effort to change that this summer. I came across this recipe by Guy Fieri while watching an episode of Guy's Big Bite and made a mental note of it because the dressing looked so good, and I loved the idea of adding flavorful poached shrimp. We like making our own salad dressings, but we usually stick with vinaigrette. This green goddess dressing is creamy, tangy, and full of flavor. I also loved how the shrimp tasted after poaching in a mixture of water, lime, peppercorns, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes. Overall this was a simple recipe, but super delicious and different than our usual salad. And if you eat a big bowl, it's a full meal!
Ingredients:
- Shrimp:
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 5 to 6 black peppercorns
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and bashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lime, cut into slices
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley
- 2 pounds medium raw de-veined shrimp in the shells (I think I used less than this, but the more shrimp the better!) Usually the E-Z peel shrimp come de-veined and that's what I buy.
- Dressing:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream (could sub non-fat Greek yogurt)
- 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons anchovy paste (or 2-3 whole canned anchovies)
- 1 small clove garlic
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Salad:
- 2 heads romaine
- 1 head Bibb lettuce or bag of mixed greens
- 1 hothouse cucumber, sliced
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/2 cup drained and sliced pepperoncinis (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1 orange bell pepper, diced
Directions:
To poach the shrimp, combine 2 1/2 quarts (10 cups) water with the salt, red pepper flakes, black
peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves, lime and parsley in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Stir to combine and
bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and allow the liquid to cool for
a few minutes.
Drop the shrimp into the hot (but not boiling) water and let them sit in the liquid, covered, for about 5 minutes. Keeping the shells on the shrimp during this step enhances their flavor. After 5 minutes, the shrimp should be cooked through and
completely pink. Use a slotted spoon to remove the shrimp
and drain well. Refrigerate until cool, and then peel and discard the
shells before serving with the salad.
To make the dressing, combine the mayo, sour cream, basil, parsley, green onions, lemon juice,
anchovy paste and garlic in a food processor and puree. Thin the mixture with water
as required, using only 2 tablespoons at a time. It should be a thick dressing, but thin enough that you can pour it over your salad. Taste and season with
salt and pepper.
For the salad, wash the lettuces and roughly chop the romaine hearts and put into a big bowl. Tear the other lettuce leaves into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl. Toss the lettuce together with the cucumber, red onion, pepperoncinis,
green onions, and bell pepper. Top with the shrimp. Dress
lightly with the dressing, and serve! Add more dressing on individual servings as needed. Or, if you aren't planning to eat it all at once, dress only after serving so that the salad will keep better in the fridge.
After experimenting with cooked celery root in our beef pot pie, I've started noticing it in a variety of uncooked dishes, such as this salad. While some similar root vegetables can't be eaten raw (or wouldn't taste good if they were) celery root was pleasantly tasty as a raw ingredient in this salad. Not to mention, it has many health benefits- low calories, high potassium, rich in vitamins, and many more. It has a earthy, almost nutty taste which paired well with the sweet acidity from the apples. The texture reminds me of a carrot- crunchy but not starchy. The blue cheese and walnuts added some additional flavor and texture to the dish, and the tangy vinaigrette was the perfect thing to tie it all together. This is a light and refreshing salad, that is surprisingly filling at the same time. Thanks to Food & Wine for the recipe!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon
1/4 of a red onion, minced (or one shallot)
salt and pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
3 large granny smith apples, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large celery root (or two small- should be about the same amount as the apples) peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped or halved (I bought mine pre-roasted, but you can do that step yourself if yours are raw. It definitely makes a difference!)
*As a note, this recipe makes A LOT. But the leftovers save well and the salad tastes even better after a day or two. However, you can cut the recipe in half to make a smaller amount.
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| Peeled celery root |
Directions:
Make the dressing by combining the vinegar, mustard, onion or shallot, about 1/2 teaspoon salt and some freshly cracked black pepper. Let it stand for 10 minutes, and then whisk in the olive oil and 1/4 cup blue cheese.
Combine the chopped celery root and apple in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over top, and add the remaining blue cheese and walnuts. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to serve!
While most people are used to heavy cream sauces, along the lines of an Alfredo, this dish is much different. The mushrooms are cooked down with some sauteed onion and sherry, and then cream is added at the end to thicken it up just a bit along with some Parmesan cheese. The result is a beautifully light and creamy coating over the pasta, with flavorful tender mushrooms. The chicken adds some extra savory flavor and some protein. I chose orecchiette as the perfect pasta with little pockets to hold the sauce.
Overall, I loved everything about this dish- and I'm not usually a mushroom lover. The different types of mushroom used in this dish make a big impact on the flavor, and I was lucky enough to find that my local Hispanic/Asian store sells them for insanely cheap prices. (Unlike, ahem ahem, the farmer's market or Whole Foods) This would also make a great vegetarian meal by simply omitting the chicken.
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| Shitakes |
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| Oyster Mushrooms |
Ingredients:
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (breasts work too but thighs have more flavor)
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease or vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper OR grains of paradise (we used the latter)
- 8 oz shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
- 8 oz oyster mushrooms, tough stems removed and sliced
- 1 small yellow onion, or 1/2 of a large onion, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 lb orecchiette
Directions:
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the bacon grease or vegetable oil. Add the garlic and cook for a couple minutes, removing it with a slotted spoon when it just starts to brown. This flavors the oil for the chicken, and the garlic is added back in later. However, if you are in a rush you could skip this step and just add the garlic later on. Trim the fat off of the chicken and season with salt and pepper. If you're using breasts, cut them into smaller pieces to reduce cooking time. Place the chicken in the pan and season the other side. Flip once the first side down has started to brown- about 4-5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large pot of water with a couple tablespoons of salt. When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the pan and add the onion and sliced mushrooms. Saute for about 2-4 minutes.
At this point your pasta water should be boiling, so add the pasta and cook until just al dente. Pour the sherry into the onion mushroom mixture and scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pan to deglaze and allow the mushrooms to absorb all of that flavor. When the sherry has been mostly reduced, add the thyme and garlic.
Cook for about 3 minutes before adding the cream. Stir to combine and when heated through, add the chicken.
Simmer for another 3 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Add 3/4 c Parmesan and mix in.
When the pasta is done, drain it and put it back in the pot. Mix in the sauce, and serve hot with the remaining Parmesan on top.
