Sunday Dish

Polenta, Goat Cheese & Veggie Stacks

Don't you love it when you make something on a whim, it's super easy, and it turns out...dare I say...Kick ass?

Welcome to Polenta, Goat Cheese and Veggie Stacks.  Awhile back  Todd and I were making polenta for some dish, I can't recall what now.  Since we hadn't made polenta before, we bought a roll of pre-made polenta from Trader Joe's, just in case.  Can't be too safe, right?  Anyway, we didn't end up needing it, so there it sat, in the fridge, unused. 

Cut to last week.  It was one of those nights where you peer into the fridge, ponder the random ingredients you see, and wonder how you can turn them all into something yummy.  Tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, a lonely log of goat cheese, a jar of marinara sauce and yes, the roll of polenta, were what I found sitting in my fridge.  And, after frying the polenta and veggies in a little olive oil, stacking them together with the goat cheese and topping them with a dollop of marinara sauce, I had quite the creation on my hand.  They look, and taste, much fancier, and more diffucult, then they are, in reality to make.  Enjoy!

Polenta, Goat Cheese and Veggie Stacks

Ingredients:

- 1 roll of polenta - sliced

- 2 zucchinis - sliced

- 1 summer squash - sliced

- 4 small Roma tomatoes - sliced

- 1/2 log of goat cheese - sliced

- 1/2 cup of marinara sauce - heated

- olive oil

- salt & pepper to taste

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet cook the polenta first and set aside on a platter.  Top each slice of polenta with a small slice of goat cheese.  Then cook each of the veggies in the pan stacking them on top of the polenta and goat cheese as they are finished.   Heat the marina sauce and spoon a small amount on top of each stack.  You can also garnish with a bit of fresh herbs if you like. Serve warm!

Steak Salad with Champagne and Mint Vinaigrette

Summer may be coming to an end in your part of the world, but here it's still HOT.  It's getting me a tad hot under the collar.  I'm a bit over sitting in my house, blinds drawn, AC running.  I'm ready for stew, hot crusty bread, fuzzy socks!  But, we're still the throes of heat and dinner must be light.

This is a good combo of grilling, lo cal and tasty.
 
Steak Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette. 

I would love it if you'd make it for your gal (or guy) pals and let me know how it turned out.

Ingredients:

1-1 1/2 lbs. steak (I usually go for what's on sale to be honest) marinated for at least 1 hour (see recipe for marinade below.)
2 red, orange or yellow peppers (or a combo)
1 large yellow onion - sliced into 1/2 moons
Grape or cherry tomatoes - cut in 1/2
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Your choice of greens:  red leaf, arugula, spinach, I usually like a combo of all of these.
Champagne and Mint Vinaigrette (see recipe below)

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Begin by making the marinade and letting the meat marinate for at least an hour. (see recipe below)

Next, roast the peppers. 

You can do this under the broiler or on the bbq, whatever is easiest for you.  Once the peppers are charred on all sides, transfer them, while they are still hot, to a large bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

While those sit, caramelize your onions. 

In a large skillet heat up some olive oil over medium/high heat.  Add the onions and cook until they begin to brown, stirring them often. Then turn the heat to low and continue to cook the onions until they are soft and a nice golden color, about 20 minutes.   Set aside.

Now, take your peppers from the bowl and remove the seeds.  You can also remove the skin if you like, but I enjoy the charred flavor.  Dice the roasted peppers and set aside.

It's time to make the vinaigrette.  (see recipe below)

Next, cook your steak.  I cooked mine in a grill pan, but you can do it under the broiler or on the grill.  Cook it to your preferred "doneness"  I like medium rare.  Once it's done, set it on a cutting board, cover, and let it sit for at least 10 minutes, Then slice the steak into strips.

From here you can compose the salad, making one large salad or individual servings, as you like.   Place lettuce in the bowl.  Add steak, peppers, onions, feta and tomatoes.  Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.

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For the Steak Marinade:

1 cup red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic - mashed or minced
Thyme - to taste
salt and pepper

Put the meat in a nonreactive dish.  Poke a few holes in it with a fork.  Add all ingredients to the dish.  Cover and let the meat marinate for at least an hour, but longer is better.

For the Vinaigrette:
1 cup champagne vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
squeeze of lemon
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 table spoon fresh mint
pinch of oregano (or a little more if you are using fresh)
small scoop of the diced/roasted peppers
small spoonful of the caramelized onions
1 clove of garlic - minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Take all the ingredients and mix them together in a blender.  Place the vinaigrette in the refrigerator until you are ready to put your salad together.

Pad Thai

I've been slowing down on posting a bit since my handsome cohort returned to town.  What can I say?  I've been too busy cooking and eating out and basking in the glow of having him back home to sit down at the computer.  But the good news is, I have about 3 posts "in the can" and am excited to share them with y'all.   

I love Thai food (that was a sharp left turn, I know, but let's get to the good stuff.) but aside from the occasional stir fry I don't cook much Asian cuisine at home.  This must change, especially with the success of my very first Pad Thai.  OMG, this turned out delicious. 

Before I go any further, I'll tell you that although I did adapt and add too her recipe, my main source of inspiration came from from one of my favorite blogs, Chez Pim.  She's a pretty famous food blogger and did and entire write up on Pad Thai for Beginners.  Like all her stuff, it's well written and thorough.   If you've never made Pad Thai before and would like to, I'd certainly recommend checking that post out first.  It helped me quite a bit.  So thank you Pim!

Pad Thai - Sunday Dish Style:

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:

- 1 cup fish sauce
- 1 cup Tamarind pulp
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Few dashes Chili Powder
- Few dashes Chili Sauce

Mix tamarind and fish sauce together then add seasonings according to your taste. 
Results:  This was super duper salty.   Next time I would use a bit less fish sauce because it is a bit too intense for my palate.  Also, when I used with the noodles, I over indulged, less is more people, less is more.

Remaining Ingredients:

- Pad Thai noodles.  Soak in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water. I loved the noodles, they had a really wonderful consistency, and unlike regular pasta they didn't get sticky at all and kept quite well in the refrigerator.

Garnishes:

- Firm Tofu - cubed.  Make sure you use very firm tofu.  The kind I bought was a bit on the soft side, and while it held up in the pan I feel it would have been better had it been firmer.
- Egg (there is a trick to making the egg just right - screwed that up the first time around, then went back and read how Pim did it.  Guess what? Perfecto!)
- Bean sprouts
- Green onions - chopped - use green and white parts.
- Red bell pepper - chopped or in matchsticks.
- Radishes - thinly sliced
- Cilantro - chopped
- Chili sauce - burns your lips in the most wonderful way possible.
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Heat a decent amount of oil in the wok (another rookie mistake I made.  didn't use enough the first time and my noodles stuck to the pan.)  Add the tofu and a bit of sauce and cook until the tofu browns.  Add a handful of noodles and a bit more sauce (gentle reminder - don't drown it.)  and toss the noodles to coat.  Then add the been sprouts, green onions and bell peppers.  Cook until the veggies soften a bit, but not too long, they should still have a nice crisp to them.  Then shove all the ingredients up the side of the wok and tilt it a bit so some oil runs back down into the empty spot in the pan.  Crack the egg, break the yolk, and let it cook for about a minute or so.  Then, after it's cooked, mix it back in with the noodles.  Garnish with cilantro, radishes, more green onions and of course that lovely chili sauce!    The fun part for us was that everyone got to garnish it in their own way.  Little Chef passed on the chili sauce and I believe that was a wise move on her part!  Enjoy and make sure to check out Pim's Pad Thai For Beginners to learn more!

Ooey Gooey Cheesey Goodness

I love spinach artichoke dip, love, love, love it!  It's an old classic and when it's hot, molten, gooey goodness is scooped up with a crispy corn chip?  Fugedda-boutit!

I have never made it before and figured, how hard can it be?  Turns out, I was right.  It was simple and oh so tasty!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

- 1 package frozen chopped spinach - thawed and thoroughly squeezed out

- two cans artichoke hearts packed in water, not oil, drained and chopped

- 1 small yellow onion - diced

- 3 cloves of garlic - minced

- 1 cup each, Parmesan, Asiago and Havarti cheese - grated.

- salt and pepper

- 3-4 good shakes of Tabasco

- juice of 1/2 a lemon

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Put the spinach and artichokes in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Saute the onion and the garlic until just soft.  Add to the spinach and artichokes

Combine all the remaining ingredients and then place in a large oven proof dish.

I cubed up a bit of the Havarti and dotted it on top.  Place the dish in a 350 degree oven and let it cook for 30-40 minutes.

The results?

This turned out better the I expected.  My only note is to make sure (as I noted above) to thoroughly drain and squeeze the spinach.  I got lazy and didn't do it.  I knew I'd regret it and I did.  There was a green puddle at the bottom of the dish - although it didn't keep us from devouring basically the entire thing! 
Serve with crunchy crusty sourdough, or chips and salsa.  It is delicious.

Herbed Quinoa with Tomato Jam

My new job is so awesome.  I love the people, the work is good, the hours are flexible.  The hardest part, as I wrote in a previous post, is just getting back into my routine. 

An added element to said routine, and one I love dearly, is cooking, documenting the dish with photos, and then sharing it with you all here.  This blog has become a creative passion of mine.  I've virtually "met" so many great people all over the world, and I don't want some silly thing like a job getting in my way.  Hello?

So, as a wise person once told me:  one step at a time, first things first, and easy does it.  Instead of beating myself up with the nearest bunch of  celery stalks, I'll do what I can, when I can. 

I'm curious, there are so many uber-posters out there.  I'm sure many of you have day jobs too, or full time at home jobs with kids, husbands and the like.  How do y'all do it?  Any secrets?  Help a girl out.  I"m hoping once my handsome cohort returns from the desert, the posts here will change and include him, his handsome face, and his fabulous cooking skills on a regular basis.  Believe it or not, this blog was created with his input in mind.

But as usual, I am rambling.  What about the food you say?  Last week I was working from home so I had a chance to actually cook!  Whoo hoo!  Do I need to tell you it's hot?  Where in the country isn't it hot?  Light and healthy.  Key words today and pretty much all of the time for my diet when I can help it.  Let's get to the cookin' people!

Herbed Quinoa with Tomato Jam:

Ingredients:

- 2 cups quinoa cooked according to the directions.  I do like to substitute equal parts white wine and chicken broth for the water.  I also add some garlic and dried oregano while cooking.  It ups the flavor factor.

 

- 2 red, orange or yellow peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced.

- 2 zucchinis - roasted and diced.

- 1-2 tables spoons each:  fresh basil, mint, oregano and Italian parsley.

- 1/4 cup green onion - chopped.  Some say only use the pale parts, I use the whole thing.

- 1/2 cup crumbled feta

- 1 cup Greek Vinaigrette (see recipe below)

- Tomato jam (see recipe below)

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Roast the veggies in a 450 degree oven until charred.  Cool, then peel,seed and diced the peppers and dice the zucs.
Combine cooked quinoa, roasted veggies, herbs, green onion and feta in a large bowl.   Toss it together with the vinaigrette and top with a generous dollop of the tomato jam.  Enjoy with a crisp white wine. 

Greek Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup olive olive oil

- 1/2 cup sherry vinegar

- 1 oz feta cheese

- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

- 2 tablespoons (a good splash) of a good quality white wine (nothing too sweet)

- 2-3 leaves basil

- salt and pepper to taste.

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Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Adjust ingredients according to your taste.

Tomato Jam:

Ingredients:

   - 1/2 of a red onion - diced

   - 1 basket grape tomatoes

- 1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

- 1 tablespoon brown sugar

- salt

- olive oil

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Heat a small amount of olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add the onions and cook until they are soft, being careful not to brown them.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the tomatoes begin to pop.

Once they are soft enough you can help the popping along using the back of a wooden spoon.   

Once they are all popped take the mixture off the heat.  Let it cool down a bit.  Then, scoop 1/2 the mixture into a blender or food processor and puree.  Add the pureed mix back to the rest of the tomato mixture and combine.  Let it cool before serving.