What's for Dinner? (9/5/06)

I started out planning last night's meal with only one ojective - to use the zucchini I bought at the store Friday night before it went bad. The rest was a big, fat unknown.

After browsing through recipes and thinking about what we had on hand, I decided that maybe polenta would be part of it. Last week I bought 2 tubes of Melissa's Organic Polenta. I didn't buy it for a specific recipe, but just to keep on hand. Turns out it was a good thing to have on hand for tonight.

Now I had to come up with a tasty sauce, using zucchini, to go over the polenta. My family is not all that crazy about zucchini, so I decided that the sauce had to be very flavorful and full of other things they did like. That's how the Italian sausage came in - everything tastes better with a little pork fat, right?


I thought about using diced tomatoes as the base of the sauce, but I found 1/3-1/2 a jar of Muir Glen Cabernet Marinara Pasta Sauce. Marinara pasta sauce? Isn't that a bit redundant? It didn't look like that was going to be enough sauce, so I added a small can of tomato sauce. Turns out that was a little too much sauce - it's hard to keep a polenta dish layered if it's too soupy - but it was better than it being too dry. To add more flavor to the sauce, I added some crushed garlic, chopped kalamata olives, crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.


I sliced the polenta and put it in a single layer in a shallow baking dish - or as close to a single layer as I could get - my slices could have been a little thicker, I guess. I topped the polenta with the sauce, some fresh mozzarella (another leftover getting used - hurray) and some Parmigiana Reggiano.

I baked the dish at 350º for about 20 minutes.

Polenta with Sausage and Zucchini Ragu

It was very good! Not bad for an off-the-cuff meal and I was very excited to once again be using up things around the house that were in danger of being wasted. I'd do it pretty much the same way again, just cutting down a bit on the sauce.

Supplies are getting low and I won't get to the store until after dinner tonight, so tonight's dinner may be tricker and it's an activity night for us, so probably just tomato soup and grilled cheese............

Tags: polenta, zucchini, sausage, main dish, recipe

Oh baby that's good....Gorgonzola Polenta in the Rice Cooker

I'm not sure how easy this will be to follow, but it was sooooo good, I had to try to share it. I can't wait to try a lower-fat version to see it will be as good.

This recipe is for a firmer polenta that you then allow to set-up and slice. I wanted a creamy polenta, so I played around with it a bit by adding more liquid at the end of the cooking time. This seemed to work fine, though in the cookbook, the creamier polentas call for more liquid at the beginning, not at the end. I made it pretty much full fat, but in the future I plan to try to cut back the fat.

Here's the recipe as originally written with my adaptations in parentheses:

Gorgonzola Polenta
Source: The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook

Machine: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker; fuzzy logic (preferred) or on/off.
Cycle: Quick Cook and/or regular or Porridge
Yield: 6 servings.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (I think this could be cut back)
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 cup chicken stock (I ended up adding about 3/4 cup more at the end to get the right consistency)
1 cup milk (I'll try skim next time)
3/4 cup coarse-grain yellow polenta (I used Bob's Red Mill Stone-Ground)
5 ounces Gorgonzola cheese (I used Stilton and probably only used 2-3 ounces. This was pretty mild, but perfect for me since blue cheese can be overwhelming.)
1/2 cup heavy cream (I'll try 1/2 and 1/2 next time)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (again, an ingredient that can overwhelm for me - I used just a sprinkling)
2 teaspoons salt (this sounded like way too much - I used a 1/2 teaspoon at most)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese (optional), for garnish (I skipped this - it was rich enough and I was not baking it)

1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the butter in the rice cooker bowl. When melted, add the onion and cook, stirring a few times, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the stock, milk, and polenta; whisk to combine. Close the cover and reset for the Porridge or regular cycle. A few times during the cooking, open the cover and stir the polenta for 15 seconds, then close the cover.

2. Coat 6 cups of a standard muffin tin with butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray or grease them with butter. (I skipped the baking step altogether and went with creamy polenta.)

3. At the end of the second Porridge cycle (their creamy polenta recipes call for putting the polenta through a second Porridge cycle - I didn't think this was necessary and skipped this part. If I had used more liquid initially, this may have been necessary.), or when the regular cycle completes, stir in the cheese, cream, nutmeg, salt and black pepper to taste. Using a plastic soup ladle, divide the polenta among the 6 muffin cups, filling to the brim. Let come to room temperature. At this point, you can cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 400º. Brush a small earthenware roasting pan with olive oil.5. Remove the polenta from the muffin tin and place in the roasting pan (not touching each other). Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top, if using. Bake until hot, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately, using a metal spatula to remove the polenta from the pan.

Awesome comfort food. And if you use your rice cooker, you don't even have to heat up the kitchen (which is nice since it's still summery here). I made a lot of modifications, so I hope it's not confusing. Everyone in my family raved and I sat at the pot, testing, moaning and groaning, eyes rolling back in my head.

Mexican Polenta-Stuffed Peppers

Source: Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers

Serves 4 to 6.

5 large bell peppers (any color you choose - I did red and green)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
sprinkling of salt

Polenta
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this didn't add much heat at all - I would definitely increase next time)
1 cup polenta cornmeal
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (I used frozen)
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped spanish olives

Salsa
1 16-ounce jar of your favorite salsa
1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Preheat oven to 450º. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds, but leave the stem ends on so the peppers will hold their shape (whoops, I forgot this part). Brush the pepper halves with oil, inside and out, and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place cut-side up on an oiled baking sheet and roast in the oven until tender but still holding their shape, about 15 minutes.

While the peppers roast, in a heavy saucepan, bring the water, salt, and red pepper flakes to a boil. Add the polenta in slow, steady stream while whisking. Cook on medium heat, stirring often, until thickened. Stir in the corn, oil or butter, 1 cup of cheese, and the olives. Remove from the heat.

Fill the roasted pepper halves with the polenta mixture. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining cheese and return to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Meanwhile, combine the salsa, black beans, and cilantro in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.

To serve, spoon some of the black bean salsa on each dinner plate and place one or two pepper halves on top.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Poached Eggs with Polenta

Source: Cooking Light

Salsa:
1/3 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon extravirgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large plum tomato, seeded and diced (about 1/3 cup)

Polenta:
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups frozen white corn kernels, thawed
1 cup white cornmeal or dry polenta
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Eggs:
4 large eggs
Cooking spray

Remaining ingredient:
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (leave out bacon to make this dish vegetarian)

To prepare salsa, combine bell pepper, basil, oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and tomato; set aside.

To prepare polenta, bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add corn, cornmeal, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook 2 minutes or until cornmeal mixture returns to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 20 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, Parmesan cheese, butter, and black pepper. Cover and keep warm.

To prepare eggs, while polenta cooks, add water to a large skillet, filling two-thirds full; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer. Break eggs into each of 4 (6-ounce) custard cups coated with cooking spray. Place custard cups in simmering water in pan. Cover pan; cook 6 minutes. Remove custard cups from water; carefully remove eggs from custard cups.

Spoon about 1 cup polenta onto each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 3 tablespoons salsa and 1 poached egg. Sprinkle evenly with bacon.

Yield: 4 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 307 (30% from fat); FAT 10.3g (sat 3.4g,mono 4g,poly 1.6g); PROTEIN 14.2g; CHOLESTEROL 221mg; CALCIUM 78mg; SODIUM 664mg; FIBER 4.6g; IRON 1.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.5g

Maureen Callahan
Cooking Light, JANUARY 2006

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Southwestern Bean Stew Over Polenta

Source: Cooking Light

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup bottled salsa
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (16-ounce) tube Mexican pepper polenta, cut crosswise into 12 slices (my store only had plain)
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream (I used light)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (as usual, I skipped)
4 ounces ripe diced peeled avocado (about 1/2 small)

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add bell peppers, chopped onion, and garlic cloves, and sauté for 6 minutes. Stir in salsa, cumin, black beans, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Quarter each polenta slice. Place polenta in a shallow 2-quart microwave-safe baking dish. Microwave, uncovered, at high for 2 minutes or until hot, tossing gently after 1 minute.

Divide the polenta evenly among 4 bowls, and spoon 3/4 cup of bean stew over the polenta. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream, 1 tablespoon cilantro, and 2 1/2 tablespoons avocado.

Yield: 4 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 296(23% from fat); FAT 7.7g (sat 1.3g,mono 3.6g,poly 2.1g); PROTEIN 11.4g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 96mg; SODIUM 481mg; FIBER 7.7g; IRON 4.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.8g

Cooking Light, MARCH 1998

I talked about this recipe HERE.