and curiously – Page 17

Polenta with peas and caramelized onions

0828_polentanstuff — I ate it for breakfast, and you can, too.

I’m coming up for air from my days-long television-marathon, barely-leaving-the-house party to say hello. Sometimes you just get in a mood, you know?

One of my main activities has been reading witty Scandal recaps as I make my way through the entire series. How do I get a gig where I watch television and then make snarky comments about it? I wonder, if you’re a professional recapper, do you enjoy television less?

I thought for a good few minutes about how I might gracefully transition from musings on television recaps to my recipe for the day, and I can’t figure anything out that’s not embarrassing. So, I don’t know, here it is, the continued ramblings of a crazy lady.

I love polenta deeply (and also grits, which seem mostly the same to me) and have been wanting desperately to throw a polenta party for some time now, though I keep wimping out of it. But, polenta party of one? Yes.

Polenta with peas and caramelized onions

1/4 cup of polenta cornmeal
1 cup of water
generous pinch of salt
pat of butter
grated Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
1/2 onion
handful of peas (I used frozen)

Bring water to boil. Add in polenta while whisking, then sprinkle in salt. Cook for around 30 minutes, stirring/whisking thoroughly every few minutes.

While the polenta is cooking, slice the onion into half moons as thinly as possible. Oil or butter a skillet, and caramelize the onions over low to medium heat until they are golden, 20-30 minutes. Add a little bit of water to the pan if they start drying out.

I just defrosted/heated up the peas in the corner of the hot skillet because I’m lazy, but you can actually boil them if you’re not extremely dish-averse like I was that morning.

Scoop polenta into a bowl. Top with onions and peas. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired, or, grated cheese.

Ottolenghi’s Surprise Tatin

Surprise! Obviously I have yet to master wiping off the plate.

Ottolenghi’s Plenty reads, “Filling a tart with potatoes is a real treat for potato lovers…” I couldn’t agree more. Surprise! It’s potatoes and buttery pastry! The best kind of surprise.

This was a fun fanfare dish for a dinner party. It’s quite fussy, so I wouldn’t make it just for normal dinner, but I knew I had to make it at least once, as a potato lover. It’s very good — buttery pastry, dense, fudgy potatoes, with a sweet tomato/caramel flavor. It’s also very time consuming, and the flip at the end is pretty scary! But you can do it. I have faith in you.

Surprise Tatin
From Plenty

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
salt and pepper
1 lb new potatoes
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons butter
big pinch of oregano leaves
5 oz goat cheese, sliced or crumbled
1 puff pastry sheet, defrosted, rolled thinly (highly recommend Dufour brand)

Yeah, I don't own a cake pan. A pie pan's the closest I've got. This is mid-prep, ready for puff pastry. — Yeah, I don’t own a cake pan. A pie pan’s the closest I’ve got. This is mid-prep, ready for puff pastry.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the tomatoes in half and place them skin side down on a baking sheet. Drizzle over some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 45 minutes to dry.

While you’re waiting, boil the potatoes in salted water for 25 minutes, or, until just barely done. Drain and let cool. Cut them into 1-inch discs, or, in half, if you are using very small potatoes.

Sautee the onions using the oil and some salt and pepper until they are done and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.

Brush a 9-inch cake pan with oil and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Cook the sugar and butter in a small pan on high heat, stirring constantly, until you have a medium dark caramel. Working quickly but carefully, pour the caramel onto the parchment in the cake pan. Tilt the cake pan around to spread the caramel as much as possible. Sprinkle the oregano leaves over the caramel.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit if baking immediately.

Lay the potato slices or halves close together, cut-side down onto the caramel. Press onions, tomatoes, and goat cheese into the gaps. Season the entire tart with additional salt and pepper. Cut a circle out of your puff pastry that is slightly larger than the pan. Lay the pastry onto the potatoes and tuck in the edges around the filling.

(If you need, you can chill the tart at this stage for up to 24 hours.)

Bake the tart at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes. The tart is done when the pastry is fully cooked — golden brown and puffed slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes.

Then, hold a plate firmly on top of the cake pan. Carefully but confidently (you can do it!), quickly turn them over together, flipping the tart onto the plate. Serve immediately.

Served with a pear, gorgonzola, candied walnut salad and farro with tomatoes. And eggs and spinach, not pictured.

Saltie’s Focaccia

I seem to have trapped myself in a food loop. Since I’ve got a bit of a recipe backlog, I write about each thing some time after actually having made it. When I edit photos and write about each recipe, I often convince myself to make that recipe again. Is that like laughing at your own jokes or Liking your own Facebook posts? Maybe it’s a faux pas.

Anyways, the call is strong with this one. This focaccia is delicious, impressive, and very easy. I’ve never met a focaccia I didn’t like (hello, fried bread), but this one is the stuff I dreamed of making, with huge holes for spread or tomato drippings, and a crunchy, salty crust. Yum. It’s a flexible recipe, but it’ll be at least half a day before the bread is ready due to a long rise in the refrigerator. But it’s very easy.

Saltie’s Focaccia
From The Wednesday Chef, who got it from the Saltie cookbook

6 1/4 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon yeast
3 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
course or kosher salt

This bread needs to sandwich something juicy.

In a very large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Sprinkle the yeast onto the warm water and wait a few minutes, then pour the mixture into the flour. Stir until a sticky, lumpy dough forms, but there isn’t anymore powdery flour. Pour your 1/4 cup of olive oil around the edges of the bowl, turning the dough to coat. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in the refrigerator for anywhere from 8 hours to 2 days.

When you’re ready for bread (yay!), oil an 18 by 13 inch baking sheet. I threw my Silpat on and then oiled for good measure. Dump the focaccia dough onto the pan, using your hands to spread the dough over the entire sheet. Cover the dough with a damp towel (I prop the towel up using small spice containers surrounding the pan), letting the dough double. The time it takes will vary, but it took about 30 minutes when I made it.

While you’re waiting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Pat down the dough to a roughly even thickness of about 1 inches. Then, use your fingers to make little indentations all over the surface, like you’re miming playing the piano. Drizzle the dough with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with your coarse or kosher salt.

Bake until it’s golden brown all over, about 30 minutes. You may want to rotate it for even baking after 15 minutes or so. Let it cool slightly, then slide out of the pan. If you’re not eating the entire thing the same day, slice off the portion you’re not using, wrap it tightly when it’s at room temperature, and then freeze.

Sandwiches! Sliced heirloom tomatoes, — The focaccia eventually sandwiched sliced heirloom tomatoes, roasted garlic, cheese, and pesto.

Make a dutch baby.

The best part of dutch babies is, when you’re preparing one, you can announce, “I’m making a dutch baby! … not the kind that requires a Dutch man (or woman).” So, you know, what are you waiting for?

I ate the whole thing. Note the pile of sugar. Don’t do that.

This dutch baby is a giant, eggy, crowd-pleasing pancake that requires less than 10 minutes of work, total. Seriously. I went through a phase where I ate an entire one every night. I wish I were kidding, but it was just too easy for me to not do it. Eventually, I ran out of eggs.

I’ll keep it brief because I really want you to go make one right now.

Berry Dutch Baby
Adapted from Joy the Baker and Smitten Kitchen

3 eggs (preferably at room temperature, but I won’t tell if they’re not)
2/3 cup whole milk (same deal)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
dash of cinnamon (optional)
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons of butter (notes on salted vs unsalted below)
a few handfuls of fresh berries, washed and chopped
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk together eggs, milk, flour, cinnamon, and salt. You don’t need to go crazy, here — just mix until the batter is combined. It can be a little lumpy, still.

In a 9 or 10 inch cast iron pan, melt butter. When I used salted butter, the dutch baby developed a slightly salty crispy crust that I enjoyed but might not be for everyone. When I used unsalted butter, it was just… buttery. So, you can choose, there.

Pour in the batter and transfer to hot oven immediately. Bake for around 20 minutes, until golden brown to your taste.

While the dutch baby is baking, sprinkle some of your sugar onto the berries and mix.

Ideally, make sure a crowd is present when you pull the dutch baby out of the oven, since it will be very puffy. Scatter the berries on the center, sprinkle with the remaining sugar, and enjoy immediately.

Spring roll salad

Finally, a salad that is mostly noodles.

In my continuing quest to identify salads that are acceptable as entire meals, I’ve started adding lots of non-salad ingredients, like handfuls of rice noodles and omelets. Because nobody wants to eat only leaves, you guys. But for real, this salad tastes like a spring roll without the fuss of actually rolling up spring rolls. It’s living the dream, really.

I dreamed up the idea when I read the title of Heidi‘s spring roll salad recipe, which turned out to be not at all what I wanted. Sorry not sorry. I really dislike shiitake mushrooms, so that made her recipe a dealbreaker. So I made my own.

Spring Roll Salad
Inspired by 101cookbooks and The Pioneer Woman

~1/4 package (2-3 cups, loosely by volume) of medium-width rice noodles
2 eggs
1-2 teaspoons mirin
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon soy sauce
small piece of ginger root
2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seed oil
1-2 teaspoons of brown sugar or honey
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1/4 head of red cabbage
1 or 2 carrots
2 Persian cucumbers
small handful of cilantro
additional: diced avocado, sliced scallion

Place the rice noodles in a large, heat-proof bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let them sit while you prepare the other ingredients. They should be soft enough to eat by the time you are ready to assemble the salad. If they are not, just place the noodles and water in a pot and bring to a boil, then drain immediately.

Beat together eggs, mirin (to taste), and 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce. Make a thin omelet using a nonstick or hot cast iron pan, making sure the egg is cooked thoroughly. After the egg has cooled enough to touch, slice the omelet into thin ribbons. Set aside and let cool completely.

Now, assemble the dressing. Grate the ginger (I keep mine in the freezer for easy grating) or mince it very finely. Combine ginger, remaining soy sauce, sesame oil, and lemon/lime juice, and sugar/honey in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Adjust ingredients to taste, of course. I’m usually pretty aggressive with the flavors, since the salad is very sturdy and won’t fall apart if dressed assertively.

Thinly slice the red cabbage. Place in a small pile in a bowl, and drizzle some dressing on and work it in with your hands. Let this rest while preparing the remaining ingredients to take a little bit of the raw bite out of the cabbage.

Thinly slice or grate the cucumber and carrot however you please. (I slice cucumbers and grate carrots.) Place in piles next to the cabbage. Finely chop the cilantro and place in bowl. I also often add diced avocado, sliced scallion, etc to this salad — but I didn’t have either, this time.

Drain the rice noodles. (If they’re not soft enough, go ahead and boil them as instructed above.) Add the rice noodles and the egg ribbons to the bowl as well. Drizzle on dressing and serve immediately.