Mamma Mia!

No, not the movie. Just throwing out some sort of Italian phrasing to intro my latest recipe. This past Wednesday I raided my pantry and decided to make use out of a jar of marinara and a tube of polenta, both of which hail from that glorious wonderland known as Trader Joe's. I had my friend, neighbor, and co-worker Chrissy over to partake, and after only one bite, we both said "yum." I got this recipe originally from a fat-free vegan website, and my version is in no way vegan or fat free. I would hyperlink you to it, but truthfully, I changed the recipe so much that I need to just write it out for you. I took a number of shortcuts and made good use of the fast chopper (you know, the one that makes a ton of noise and serves as an outlet for agression). One last note, it's supposed to be a "lasagna," but it didn't really set up like one, so I'm renaming it a "bake."

Polenta Bake with Portabellas and Spinach (makes 6 servings)
1 18-ounce package prepared polenta
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
1 package of baby portabella mushrooms (about 2 cups)
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 bunch of fresh spinach, roughly chopped in bite-sized pieces (can substitute kale)
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
1 jar Classico Four Cheese Alfredo sauce
1 1/4 cups marinara sauce (homemade or in a jar)
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1 cup Italian 6 Cheese blend, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking dish with a non-stick spray and set aside. (I used a different size pan, an 11x7 and it was full...just flex with this).
2. Saute' the onions and portabellas in a non-stick skillet on medium/medium high heat until the mushrooms begin to exude their juices. Add the garlic and saute' for one more minute.
3. Add the spinach, basil, and 1/4 cup of water. Saute' until the spinach is wilted and the water has evaporated (for the most part...some liquid is ok). Decrease to medium low heat and add the cheese sauce and cook, stirring, until thickened. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired (I like pepper, so I was liberal...I also use kosher salt). Remove from the heat.
4. Cut the polenta into 1/4-inch thick slices (a bit of a challenge b/c the polenta sticks to the knife; be patient and find a rhythm with it...maybe try using a little bit of olive oil on the knife). Line the bottom of the baking dish with half of the slices, overlapping slightly if possible. Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce over the polenta, and then spread the spinach mixture over the sauce. Sprinkle the chopped olives over the spinach and top with the remaining polenta. Spread the remaining marinara sauce over the top and sprinkle with Italian cheese blend.
5. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
   

Some reflections: the dish probably would have set up more like a lasagna if 1) I had used an 8x8 pan (don't have one) and 2) if I hadn't been so hungry and could have actually let it cool. No matter what, this dish is so flavorful and yummy. Who cares if it's set up or not? Oh, I also didn't use all of the spinach/cheese mixture. It just seemed like the pan was going to overflow, so I reserved about 3/4 cup and plan on using it to top some basic pasta. You could easily substitute lasagna noodles or another pasta for the polenta if you so desire. All in all, I had a lot of fun with this dish, from enjoying it with Chrissy to bringing it to school to share with Mary, to my roommate and her boyfriend partaking of the leftovers. Let me know if you try it out. I think it has the potential to be a real crowd pleaser!

Restaurant A, Party of 4

So my roommate Ashley and I, official proprietors of Restaurant A, threw a small dinner party last night. Jed and Mike came over and observed some rather hilarious kitchen antics, from instruction on how to smash a garlic clove so the peel comes off oh-so-easily to the massacre that is pitting cherries. Bottom line: we had so much fun. Doing this dinner was the greatest way for me to commence my project. With three glasses of water, one glass of tea, and a bottle of Columbia Crest's Two Vines Sauvignon Blanc, we ate our way through a delicious menu:

Broiled Salmon with Herb Mustard Glaze

Surprisingly easy and absolutely tasty. We had the added benefit of fresh Alaskan salmon compliments of Jed's recent trip. The only irritation was purchasing Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, and white wine for the recipe. You only need small amounts of those items, yet you simply must have them. My plan is to locate some additional recipes that use these mustards...any suggestions? Many thanks to my roommate for having a convenient herb garden currently growing next to our porch window. The thyme and rosemary add an irreplaceable freshness and flavor. My hat is off to you, Giada.

Summer Squash Stacks with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

A true feast for the eyes! Yellow, green, red, and white...ooh la la! Again, quite a simple recipe that packs great flavor. I did struggle a bit slicing the squash on the diagonal; be sure to slice at a less ambitious angle, more like 30 degrees than 45. Last note, I did not stack as high as instructed. I opted to just do one zucchini slice, one mozzarella slice, basil leaves, one squash slice, small piece of mozzarella, then the red pepper sauce. Maybe if I had sliced the squash better (and thinner), I would have been able to do the full stack. Make this recipe while it's still summer! Tip: I buy the Sargento fresh mozzarella. It's just as tasty as the specialty cheeses in that specialty cheese case but without the specialty price.

Tomato, Basil, and Millet Salad

A recipe after my roommate's heart. This yummy concoction came from the Whole Foods website, and it was so tasty! I wasn't sure about the green onions, and I was downright cynical about the black-eye peas, but lo and behold, the combination of flavors was wonderful. The millet eluded me at Super Target, but after a quick phone call to Harris Teeter, I found this whole grain that looks and tastes like quinoa. Ashley speculated about making it again with chickpeas instead of black-eye peas. Amazingly enough, I would eat it again with those black-eye peas. Bring on the luck of the New Year in August.

and for dessert...

Cherries with Marscapone

No hyperlink here. Just take a small tub of marscapone, mix in about 1-2 tbsp of honey (make it as sweet as you want it), and spoon over pitted cherries. For fun we put this yummyness in wine glasses. Yes, your cherries must be fresh (we used organic bing cherries), and if you happen to own an olive pitter, go for it. We opted to slice the cherry in half and exhume the pit, hence the aforementioned massacre. Our fingers and the entire counter top looked like a scene from Friday the 13th. Thankfully, a little soap and water did the trick. For those of you who also enjoy orange flavor, here's another cherry/marscapone option on the Whole Foods website. It's a little more entailed, but sounds delicious.

I would definitely make these dishes again. And yes, with these recipes, I have already met my goal for August, but I will still pursue something new to cook for the remaining weeks. Since this menu came from a hodge-podge of sources, I will continue in that trend. September, however, will be officially declared Cooking Light month. My 2000 edition hardback book was a gift from my mom for Christmas in 2001. The cover picture of a lemon blueberry coffee cake has tempted my pitiful baking skills many times. Who knows what September holds for my kitchen?

The kitchen is open!

After watching Julie & Julia, I have decided to take on my own cooking project. I have no intention of mastering the art of French cooking (no offense, Chef Child), but I will expand my culinary repertoire. Each week, I will cook one new recipe. Each month's recipes will come from one cookbook for the sake of good boundaries. Enjoy the musings that follow, and join my mission if you feel so led. Requirement for future fellow sojourners: post your recipe.