Polenta of Creamy Cheesy Hominy

According to Wikipedia, before the 15th Century and the arrival of corn to Italy, polenta was made from a wide variety of other grains. This creamy polenta is prepared with southern white hominy grits but you could also use southwestern coarse yellow corn meal, or finer Italian polenta cornmeal, for that matter. Either way, they make a smooth polenta base for fish, meat or tofu, or just a nice side dish. For a more Asian flare, see ginger garlic grits.3 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup old fashioned grits, or yellow polenta
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp dried dill weed
¼ tsp dried red pepper flakes
¼ tsp garlic powder
4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Whisk in the grits and the spices, and lower to a simmer. Cook another 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cheese it melts.

Lamb and Artichoke Ragu over Trottole

10 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 shallots, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 1/2 lb ground lamb
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Herbes de Provence or Italian herbs
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp lamb or beef stock starter reduction paste
1 /2 cup red wine
1/2 cup water
Dash red pepper flakes
1 lb Trottole pasta

Heat a large sauté pan and toss in the mushrooms. Let them cook dry, shaking the pan for a minute or so, tip in a bit of olive oil and cook them until they release their water and brown up a bit, about 10 minutes. Set mushrooms aside in a bowl. In same pan, sauté the shallot, garlic and red pepper in a bit of olive oil until the pepper softens a bit and begins to brown. Set aside with mushrooms. In same pan, brown the lamb with the cumin and herbs. Add the tomato paste, stock starter paste, wine and water. Stir to mix well and then add the onion and pepper mixture, the artichokes and red pepper flakes. Stir gently, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for at least 15-20 minutes, stirring gently every so often. Add more water if mixture dries out too much - it should be thick but moist.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Stir in the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and distribute among plates. Top with Ragu and serve.

Butternut Squash Gratin

1 large or 2 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed 1-inch (about 6 cups)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp crushed dried rosemary
1 tsp coarse salt
fresh ground pepper

1 cup Ricotta cheese
1 egg
¼ cup cream
dash of nutmeg (fresh grated preferably)
2 green onions, sliced
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
4 oz cheddar cheese, grated

½ cup Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 450F. Toss the squash together in a large bowl with the oil and spices. Tip out onto a rimmed baking pan and roast for 20 minutes, turning once. Reduce oven temperature to 375F.

Mix together the Ricotta, egg, cream, nutmeg, onion and cheeses. Fold in the warm squash and tip into a greased 9x13-inch casserole. Top with bread crumbs. Bake for 20 minutes, or until nicely browned.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

You may wonder why I am blogging something so mundane as spaghetti and meatballs. But this is one of our son's and my favorite meals, and he asked for this meal for his birthday. Because there are so many different variations around, it can be daunting to know what to do. Here; this is straightforward and dependable and absolutely delicious.Sauce:
1 small onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp herbes de Provence, or Italian herbs
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28-oz cans diced tomatoes, or whole tomatoes broken up by hand
1 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup red wine
1 6-oz can tomato paste
palmful of fresh basil leaves (if available)

Meatballs:
2 lb ground beef
½ cup Italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup ketchup
1 small onion, minced
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 egg

1 lb spaghetti

Prepare sauce by sautéing onion, celery and carrot in a bit of olive oil in a sturdy 4-5 quart pot. Cook about 10 minutes, then add garlic and herbes. Cook another 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Set to simmer for at least an hour.

Meanwhile prepare the meatballs by mixing the meatball ingredients well together with your hands. Form into 1- to 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Heat a bit of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Brown meatballs on all sides for about 8-10 minutes (you’ll have to work in batches). As you brown batches, fold meatballs gently into the simmering sauce, as you finish browning the remaining meatballs.

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions. Reserve a few ladles of pasta water. Drain spaghetti and tip into a large serving bowl. Add a few ladles of sauce, and a bit of pasta water and mix well. Top with meatballs and more sauce.

Savory Turnovers

There are unlimited ways to fill a savory turnover - think of them as hot sandwich pockets. Granted they are a bit more involved than pulling together a quick sandwich, or even a warm panini, but they offer an unmatched crispy, cozy, and sometimes gooey-cheesey warmth for a cold winter day's lunch, such as Christmas. They only take 15 minutes to bake, and the crust whips together quickly in the food processor. But you should let the dough rest for 30 minutes, so a bit of advanced planning is in order. Here are two possibilities of many.

Broccoli Walnut Tofu Turnover

1/2 recipe cheesy crust
1 egg whisked together with 1 Tbsp water

1/4 cup walnuts
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 cup cooked broccoli flowerets, chopped finely
1/2 brick firm tofu, cut to 1/4-inch dice
4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
Dash red pepper flakes

Prepare the crust and allow to sit 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Then divide the dough in fourths and roll out into circles of about 6 inches.

Preheat oven to 450F. Pulse the walnuts and garlic together in a small food processor to form a fine grain, but stopping just before becoming too much of a paste. Toss together the broccoli, tofu, cheese and red pepper. Divide the walnuts amongst the four dough disks and spread to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Top the bottom half of each with a fourth of the broccoli mixture.

Paint the edges of each disk with eggwash and fold dough over to a half-moon shape, pressing gently to remove air pockets. Paint the surface of the dough with eggwash and use tines of a fork to seal the edges together. Poke a few vent holes in the dough with a fork. Bake 15 minutes.

Makes 4 turnovers.

Italian Turnovers
You can use any Italian cold cuts you like for this.

1/2 recipe cheesy crust
1 egg whisked together with 1 Tbsp water

4 large slices ham
8 slices salami
4 slices Provolone cheese
4 tsp pesto
4 Tbsp tomato sauce
4 Tbsp chopped cooked spinach
1 egg, whisked with 1 Tbsp water

Prepare the crust and allow to sit 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Then divide the dough in fourths and roll out into circles of about 6 inches.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Slather one tablespoon tomato sauce in the center 5 inches of the circle. Then lay the ham, salami and cheese on the bottom half, leaving a 1/2 inch border of crust free for sealing. Top with the pesto and a tablespoon of spinach. Paint the border of the crust with eggwash. Fold over to a half moon shape and use the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Paint the surface of the turnover with eggwash and poke a few vent holes in the crust with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes.

Makes 4 turnovers.

The Best Part Of Thanksgiving: the Leftovers - Turkey Consumme

Roasted Turkey bones and leftovers
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, peeled and diced

Place all the bones, and leftovers from carving the turkey, including skin and neck, and any leftover jus, into a large pot. Add water just to cover the bones. Add carrots, celery and onion. Bring to a boil, skim, and reduce to a simmer. Cook about an hour. Salt to taste.

Cool slightly and then strain soup through a colander placed in a large bowl. If you have cheesecloth you can strain the broth for a very fine soup, but I often skip this step. Let broth cool in a refrigerator. Cool bones enough to handle, and pick meat from bones. When broth is cool, carefully skim off the fat layer and discard. Reheat on stove.

Place a bit of shredded meat (some like to use leftover carved meat, which will have more flavor than the meat simmered with the broth, which has less flavor) in a bowl. Add just a few dices of red pepper and a bit of parsley for style; or use other veggies you have. Ladle hot stock over the meat and veggies, being careful not to include any settled material if you did not strain stock.

Apple Berry Pie

Crust:
3 cups flour
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, diced and then chilled in the freezer
6 Tbsp ICE COLD water

Filling:
8 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I used Crispin)
¾ cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
3 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water
1 cup mixed berries, thawed if previously frozen (I used blue- black- and raspberries)

Egg wash:
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk

Prepare the crust by mixing the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. With the processor running, add the butter through the feed tube until the mixture is just evenly granular and no more. Add just enough of the water to pull the dough together in a ball, then stop the processor. The dough can be a little dry so long as you can compress it together with your hand into a disk – but don’t handle the dough too long or it will not be flakey. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the apples by sautéing them in a large non-stick skillet with all the filling ingredients. Cook for about 10 minutes, at least until the apples begin to soften. There is likely to be quite a bit of liquid rendered in the pan - use a slotted spoon to remove apples to a bowl. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture into the liquid until thickened. Stir in the berries and fold berry mixture into the apples.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Divide the crust in two, roll out into circles and place the bottom crust in a large pie dish. Add the apple mixture and top with the second crust. Seal all around the perimeter of the pie, and place a few vent holes decoratively through the top crust. Whisk together the egg wash and paint the top crust all around with the egg wash. Sprinkle to pie generously with granulated (white or brown) sugar. Bake 30-40 minutes, until the crust is very golden brown.

Cranberry Sauce with Citrus and Ginger

This may sound spiced-up, but it isn't. It really is very, very subtle, and actually very refreshing.
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
12 oz bag fresh cranberries
1 stick cinnamon
1 whole star anise
12 sections pink grapefruit, about 1 whole grapefruit, chopped
zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp candied ginger, minced
1/4 tsp curry powder

Bring the water and the sugar to a boil and add the cranberries, cinnamon and anise. Cook for about 10 minutes until the berries pop and the sauce thickens. Pick out the cinnamon and anise and stir in the grapefruit, lemon zest ginger and curry. Cool and serve.

Fun with Brussel Sprouts - I Swear

It may be strange, but I honestly LOVE Brussels sprouts. If you sauté them only just until 'crisp-tender', they don't get all sulfur smelling and they taste fresh and delicious. I will never, ever steam or boil Brussels sprouts - but roasting at 400F tossed with some olive oil is certainly a great option. Of course you are in a "Catch-22" if you are preparing them this way for your father-in-law who insists on his vegetables cooked 'to death'... So don't serve these to him.

Crisp Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
1 lb fresh Brussels sprouts
1 medium onion, yellow or purple, sliced or diced

Other vegetables such as:
3 whole cooked beets, diced (or 1 can diced beets, drained)
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
3 mixed-colored organic carrots, peeled and sliced

2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil

Cut the stem off each sprout and slice sprout in half through the stem. Tip sprouts, onion and other vegetable of choice into a large skillet, and slowly sauté together only until the sprouts are 'crisp-tender' and just begin to brown. Stir every once in a while, but not too often, so sprouts can brown. Salt and pepper to taste.

With beets:
With cabbage:
If you want an even more epic sprout, start by cooking about an eighth pound of diced bacon (or ham) before the sprouts. If using bacon, you can cut back on the oil and half the butter. While this is a bit more decadent and should only be eaten in moderation, it's really, really much more fun. But you could argue you are spoiling a fantastically healthful dish. Oh darn...

Chili Pork with Black Beans and Rice

This is especially good with brined pork!
1 cup rice, I like short grain brown rice for this
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1 onion diced
1 lb boneless pork rib meat, diced to 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp powdered cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 serano or jalapeño chili, minced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 avocado, sliced and fanned
Palmful cilantro, minced (optional)
2 Tbsp shelled sunflower seeds
1 lime, cut in eighths

Preheat oven to 350F. Drain the tomatoes and save the juice. Make up the juice to 2 cups with water. In a medium pot, sauté the rice in a bit of canola oil for about five minutes, stirring constantly, until the rice is fragrant, but not browned. Add the tomato water and salt, bring to a boil, reduce back to a simmer, stir and cover the pot. Cook for about 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.

Meanwhile sauté the onion in a large fry pan with a bit of olive oil for about 8-10 minutes. Set onion aside in a bowl. In same pan, brown the pork, adding a bit of oil as needed, until all sides a nicely browned. Add the garlic and chili pepper and cook another few minutes until fragrant.

When the rice is cooked, fluff with a fork and toss together with the onions, beans and the meat. Stir in the chili and cumin powders and tip half into a 13x9 inch casserole. Top mixture with half the cheese and then the remaining bean and rice mixture. Finally, top the casserole with the remaining cheese. Bake covered for 20 minutes and the uncovered for 10 minutes. Top casserole with sunflower seeds, avocado and cilantro. Serve with lime.

Poached Sole with Mushrooms and Buerre Blanc Reduction

1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup water
4 fillet of sole, or most any white fish you like
1 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
1/4 tsp dill weed, dried or minced
1 large can very nice mushrooms, drained
1 Tbsp fresh chives, minced

Put wine and water in a large non-stick skillet for which you have a top. Bring to a boil and add the fish , neatly distributed. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Poach for about five minutes. When fish has cooked through, remove carefully with a slotted spatula to a platter, cover with foil and keep warn in a warm oven.

Meanwhile, mix together the flour and butter with a fork to make a Buerre Manier. Whisk the Buerre Manier into the stock over medium heat until a nicely thickened sauce forms. Adjust thickness with water if necessary. Stir in the dill and mushrooms to heat through. Plate each fish filet and top with mushroom sauce. Sprinkle each fillet with chives.

Chicken Pot Pie with Cheesy Crust

This is a real comfort food dish, but really no weeknight affair. This takes some time - great for a weekend, and is worth every minute of toil - a real act of love. Our daughter insisted we put a crust on the bottom of the pie, and I couldn't agree more. Baking at relatively high temperature for a short time at first seems to brown the outside of the bottom crust. Very yummy.
1 whole chicken, cut up
3 carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp hebes de Provence
1/2 cup peas
3 Tbsp corn starch

Cheesy crust:
3 cups flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 1/2 sticks butter, sliced and chilled in freezer for a few minutes
4 oz. herbed feta cheese, crumbled
4 oz. grated cheddar cheese
6-8 Tbsp ice-cold water

Egg wash:
1 egg whisked together with 1 Tbsp water

Prepare the chicken by browning in a large pot in a bit of olive oil, about 5 minutes, until all pieces begin to brown. Add carrot, celery, onion and garlic and cook another 10 minutes, until the veggies begin to soften and become very fragrant. Salt an pepper to taste while you sauté the veggies. Add about 6 cups of water - just enough to barely cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. cover and cook for about 30-45 minutes, until the chicken just begins to fall off the bone. Stir to redistribute the chicken from time to time.

Meanwhile prepare the crust by mixing the flour with the salt and dill in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the chilled butter slices to the flour, pulsing just until the butter is incorporated coarsely into flour. Add the cheeses and pulse a few more times just to incorporate. With the processor running, add enough of the water to make the dough just about to form a rough ball. Stop processing immediately - do not over mix the dough. Carefully transfer the dough onto a counter, divide and press together to form two balls of dough. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate for half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Let the chicken broth mixture cool a bit and then strain the chicken into a colander seated in a large enough bowl to hold it. Remove the colander and let the meat cool enough to shred the meat from the bones. Separate out as many of the veggies as you can, and set aside. You should have about 4-5 cups of stock; if not, bring up to 4 cups with water. Dissolve the corn starch in 3 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl. Bring the stock to a boil and whisk in the cornstarch. Allow stock to thicken - adjust with a bit more cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken further if necessary - depending on how much stock you have. Tip in the peas to heat through, then fold in the veggies and the chicken. Set gravy aside.

Grease a 2-quart oven-going casserole. Roll out the balls of dough to circles big enough to fit the casserole. Line the bottom of the casserole with one dough sheet. Pour in the chicken filling. Cover the filling with the second sheet of dough. Lightly brush the crust with egg wash. Pierce several tiny holes into the crust for venting. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and bake for another 20 minutes, until crust is nicely browned and gravy begins to bubble through holes.

Carnival Chickpea Veggie Salad: Something Festive for Carnival Starting in Germany at 11:11 11/11/11

4 cups broccoli flowerettes
4 cups cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large carrots, sliced
2 cups purple cabbage, shredded
1/2 small purple onion, sliced
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Dressing:
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced through a press

Sunflower seeds for topping

Bring about 3 inches of well-salted water to a boil in a medium pot. Prepare a large bowl with about 4 cups of ice and 4 cups of water. Tip the broccoli, cauliflower and carrots into the boiling water. Let sit for 1 minute. Remove veggies and drain in a colander. Immediately toss veggies into ice water and stir well to cool off quickly. When very cold, drain in colander and make sure all ice is either melted or removed. Dry veggies out in a salad spinner. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and toss with the salad. Top the salad with a sprinkling of sunflower seeds.

Cucumber and Corn Salad

2-3 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 cups corn kernels
2 green onions, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil

Mix all ingredients together. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4-6.

Broccoli Two-Potato Casserole

1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp powdered coriander
½ tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper
¼ cup good real mayonnaise
¼ cut non-fat plain Greek yogurt
4 cups broccoli flowerets, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
2 green onions, sliced
4 oz Cheddar cheese, grated

Topping:
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 oz Cheddar cheese, grated
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp powdered coriander
¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, whip together the first six ingredients. Tip in the next five ingredients and mix to combine well. Stir together the topping ingredients. Turn veggie mixture into a greased 9x13 casserole and cover with the topping. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until browned and bubbly.

Asian Savoy Broccoli Slaw

4 cups broccoli flowerets, cut up
1/2 head savoy cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, grated
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
2 Tbsp shelled sunflower seeds

Sauce:
1/3 cup good real mayonnaise
1 rounded Tbsp Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Steam the broccoli with a dash of water in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Drain and cool completely in the refrigerator. Whisk together the sauce ingredients and toss together with the veggies in a large bowl.

One of Everything Guacamole Salsa for 11-1-11

Here's a quick and easy fresh salsa with 1 of each ingredient for 11-1-11.
1 avocado, diced
1 fresh tomato, diced and drained
1 clove garlic, pressed and minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground chili powder
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, minced

Toss all ingredients together with a bit of salt and red pepper flakes to taste.

Cooking Orange: Angry Vegan Mexican Rice

1 cup rice (I especially like short grain brown rice for this)
1 rounded Tbsp bulgur wheat
2 cups water
1 small onion diced
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 cup julienned or matchstick carrots
1/2 head small cauliflower, broken into small pieces, about 3 cups
1 jalapeño or Asian red chili pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin powder
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1 brick extra firm tofu, drained, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Bring the water to a small pot. Add the rice, bulgur and salt. Bring to a boil, stir and reduce heat to a slow simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet or wok, sauté the onion, corn, carrots and cauliflower in a bit of olive oil for about 10 minutes, until the cauliflower just begins to loose it's crisp edge. Add the chili pepper, garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook another 2-3 minutes, until very fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook another 3-5 minutes, stirring only a few times so as not to break up the tomatoes too much.

At the same time, heat a bit of corn oil in a large non-stick skillet. Sauté the tofu over fairly high heat to achieve a good sizzle. Sprinkle in the garlic and onion powers as you fry the tofu. Salt and pepper generously, to taste. Cook about 10 minutes to brown the tofu pieces well.

Add the cooked rice to the veggies, and stir well to mix. Gently fold in the tofu and serve. Serves four.
Angry vegan pumpkin.

Baked Orange Cauliflower

I passed a beautiful farm stand in southeastern Pennsylvania on my way home, and I just had to stop in to see what was on the shelves. Gorgeous locally grown vegetables and hand made pies, local cheeses and honey. I was struck by beautiful cauliflower heads; cream, purple and orange. Crisp, firm and bordered by stiff, green leaves. Being around Halloween, I chose the orange one, never having tasted one that color. It was sweet and fresh, no hint of cabbage at all. I cooked it whole, using an approach I learned years ago from an old colleague, Chet and his wife Laura. They called it Frosted Cauliflower.

1 medium head cauliflower
1/2 cup good real mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely grated herbed cheddar cheese
dash red pepper flakes
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350F. Paint cauliflower head with mayonnaise and top with cheese and red pepper flakes. Salt and pepper generously to taste. Place cauliflower head in a Dutch Oven or large oven-going pot with lid. Add water and bake 20 minutes covered. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes.

Baked Summer Squash

2 zucchini, sliced
2 yellow summer squash, sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and grated (or jullienned), about 1 cup
2 cups grated Cheddar or Jack cheese
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence (or Italian herbs)

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 13x9-inch casserole with oil. Interleaved half the zucchini and squash on the bottom of the casserole. Top with half the carrot and half the cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Layer the remaining zucchini, squash and carrot on top. Mix together the Panko crumbs with the oil and herbs. Stir crumbs together with the remaining cheese. Top the casserole with the cheese mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top in browned and the casserole is bubbly.

Udon Noodles with Korean Gochujang Chili Paste

Gochujang is a delicious Korean chili paste made typically of red chilies, glutinous rice and fermented black beans. It has a sweetish quality to it and a gentle kick that doesn't knock you down. You can find it in Asian markets and use it where you might use Chinese chili paste with garlic. The ones I have tried have less kick than Chinese chili paste with garlic, and seem very good for subtle spicing up of a dish.

1/2 lb boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp Korean Gochujang chili paste (or 1 tsp Chinese chili paste with garlic)
1/2 Savoy cabbage, chopped
1 small sweet red bell pepper, sliced
2 Tbsp chopped chives (ideally Asian chives)
1 can Asian straw mushrooms (or regular button mushrooms)
2 packages (about 14-oz) fresh Udon noodles
1/2 package extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed

In a soup pot, fry the pork in a bit of canola or peanut oil until beginning to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and cook another two minutes, until fragrant. Add the wine, broth and chili paste, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the cabbage, pepper, chives and mushrooms (including juice) and gently tuck in the Udon noodles into the broth. Cook another 2 minutes and gently separate the noodles. Gently fold in the tofu to the mixture and cook another 2 minutes. Serve in bowls, garnished with chives. Serves 4.

Orecchietta Pasta with Eggplant and Sausage

1/2 1 lb orecchiette pasta or medium shells
1 eggplant, diced to 1/2-inch
Dash red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
4 chicken-apple sausages, or other nice boutique sausages, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
2 green onions, sliced
1 Serrano chili, diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat a large non-stick skillet and toss in the eggplant. Stir about 2 minutes until the eggplant begins to sizzle. Then add about a tablespoon of olive oil and the red pepper flakes and continue cooking at medium heat to let the eggplant brown on all sides very well. Do not stir too often or you will make the eggplant mushy. When nice and brown, sprinkle the Balsamic vinegar about the eggplant, stir and remove to a bowl.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the boiling water just until al-dente. Drain pasta well. At the same time, sauté the sausage in another skillet, adding the pepper, onions, chili and garlic after about 5 minutes. Continue cooking just until the veggies are crisp-tender. Toss the eggplant with the sausage mixture and fold into the pasta. Serves 4 adults or 2 students.

Cauliflower Tofu Butternut Squash Casserole

1 pkg extra-firm tofu
1 small head cauliflower, cut into small pieces, about 5-6 cups
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
1 small red onion, diced
4 green onions, diced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 lb habanero cheddar or pepper jack cheese, grated
1 tsp favorite curry powder
1 tomato, diced and drained
2 Tbsp fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400F. Squeeze water from tofu and wrap in several paper towels. Weigh down with a can of food. Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, sauté the butternut squash and the onion in a bit of olive oil for about 10 minutes, just until the squash begins to soften. Season with salt to taste, plenty of black pepper and the coriander and curry powders.

While the squash cooks, steam the cauliflower in a covered dish with a bit of water in the microwave for 5 minutes. Drain well. In a large mixing bowl, toss the mayonnaise, green onions and cheese together. Mix in the cauliflower very well, then fold in the squash. Finally, dice the tofu and fold gently into the veggie mixture.

Tip veggie mixture into a large oiled casserole dish. Top with the tomatoes and bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Cajun Catfish Mike Anderson

I'll never forget the fish I had at Mike Anderson's Seafood in the French Quarter in New Orleans. Catfish with a creamy Louisiana veggie sauce - I have their cookbook but can't quite find what I seem to remember. This is as close as I come to it, and captures the essence of that great meal.

4 Catfish or Swai fillets (or Tilapia fillets)
1 green pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 jalapeño or Serano chili pepper, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 ripe, plum tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup light cream
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
Dash Cajun spice rub

Sprinkle Cajun spice rub all over the fillets. In a medium saucepan, sauté the onion, peppers and mushrooms in the butter and oil until the peppers soften. Add the garlic, oregano, thyme and tomatoes and cook another few minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the Worcestershire and cream and warm until tick and smooth. Set sauce aside. Salt to taste and add a generous amount of black pepper.

Meanwhile heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle with a bit of olive oil. Sauté the fish fillets, rounded-side down for about 2 minutes. Flip and continue cooking another minute or so, just until the fish is cooked through. Plate the fish and top each fillet with 1/4 of the sauce.

Croque Madam

I continue my quest of cooking recipes we had in France this summer. OK, staying on the toaster oven theme, I attack the Croque Madam - basically Croque Monsieur (open-faced grilled ham and cheese), with a fried egg on top. Those French - they'll put an egg on anything!

My version:

Ordered in a cafe in Paris:4 slices bread
4 eggs
4 oz cheese (Gruyere or Swiss is classic, and I also like horseradish Cheddar)
4 thin slices low-salt ham
Dijon mustard
fresh parsley
paprika

Preheat the toaster oven to 450F (Pizza setting). Very lightly spread just a bit of mustard on the bread. Top each slice with ham, and equally distribute the cheese and parsley on top of the ham. Sprinkle each slice with a dash or paprika. Bake for about 8 minutes, until bubbly and beginning to brown.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter and just a bit of olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Fry the eggs to desired doneness. Place one egg on each slice and serve.

Tuna Melt Habanero

What's not to like about an open-face melt after a good long bike ride?! I love my toaster oven because I'll take a tuna melt over a tuna sandwich any day. Like a panini press, which seems to make any sandwich better, the toaster oven can transform an otherwise mundane collection of bread and foodstuff into a little bit of heaven.

I use this formula - some kind of bread, muffin or crust - tortillas count, then some kind of sandwich filling material, some cheese almost always, and something fun for the top. Bake in toaster oven at 450F for 7-10 minutes. 1-2-3-4 voila.

1 large or 2 small cans tuna, drained
4 slices bread
dash of dried dill weed
1 tsp lemon juice
4 oz sliced habanero cheddar or jalapeno pepper jack cheese
1 doz grape tomatoes
a bit of fresh cilantro or parsley

Preheat toaster oven to 450F (Pizza setting). Prepare the tuna with the lemon and dill and a bit of mayo to your liking. Divide tuna on bread slices, spread evenly about each slice. Distrubute cheese on top of tuna, and then tomatoes on top of cheese. Top with a bit of cilantro or parsley. Bake 7-10 minutes, until bubbly and hot.

...and if you don't have tomatoes, use peppers or onions, or olives, or capers or...

Brine-herbed Pork Kebabs

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup coarse salt

1 qt hot water
1 qt ice
1 more qt cold water

2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 stick cinnamon
2 tsp mustard seed
2 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp celery seed
2 tsp mixed whole pepper grains

1 1/2-2 lb boneless pork roast, butt or loin
1 red, yellow or orange pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 purple onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lemon, quartered

In a microwaveable bowl, dissolve the sugar and salt in the hot water, microwaving if necessary. Pour into a large pot and Add the ice and cold water to bring to at least room temperature. Otherwise refrigerate to cool completely. Add the brining spices to the cold liquid and submerge the pork into the brine. Make sure the meat is completely covered with brine. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 24 or ideally, 48 hours. Remove pork from brine, pat dry with paper towels.

Heat grill. Cut the roast into 1-inch cubes. Alternate cubes with peppers and onions on 4 long Kebobs skewers. Spray with cooking oil and grill 2-3 minutes per side, 8-12 minutes total. Sprinkle with lemon and serve. Serves 4-6.

Prosciutto Wrapped Rork Roast Roulade with Swiss Chard, Apples, Cashews and Mushrooms

2 lb pork loin, butterflied and pounded
1 bunch red Swiss chard, spines removed
8 oz portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 orange pepper, thinly sliced
1 small onion, finely sliced
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
Dash red pepper flakes
4 thin slices Prosciutto
Butcher's cotton twine, about 3 feet

Preheat oven to 375F. Taking care, butterfly the pork roast with a very, very sharp knife. Starting 1/2 inch from the bottom of the roast, cut through to about 1/2 inch from the other end. Unroll and continue about two more times until you have an unrolled 1/2-inch rectangle of boneless pork. Cover the pork with plastic wrap and lightly pound the pork to even out the thickness.

Blanch the Swiss chard in boiling, salted water for 3 minutes. Carefully remove the leaves onto a towel to drain. In a large skillet, sauté the mushrooms in a bit of olive oil over high heat until they release their water. Continue cooking another few minutes just to slightly brown the mushrooms. Set mushrooms aside. In the same skillet, sauté the pepper and onion for about 5 minutes, in a bit of olive oil. Add the apple, fennel seeds, thyme and sundried tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and cashews and cook about 2 more minutes, until the garlic is fragrant.

Spread the chard leaves on top of the butterflied pork. Top evenly with the sautéd veggies. Roll tightly and wrap with prosciutto. Tie carefully with butcher's twine. Roast pork uncovered for about 1 1/2 hrs, just until temperature in middle of pork reaches 140F. The internal temperatur, not the roasting time, is important here. Remove roast from oven and let sit for 20 minutes; temperature will rise to around 150F. Slice and serve.

Chef's note: I use a digital real-time thermometer. With the probe inserted in the roast so that the tip is in the direct center of the roast, the cable extends outside the oven (the door simply closes on it) and is connected to the digital readout on the counter next to the oven. Make sure the tip is nowhere near any bone the roast may have. This gives you a real-time measure of the roast temperature. There simply is no other way to determine when a roast is done than to measure its internal temperature in real time. This has saved many a leg of lamb from being overdone - a cardinal sin in my and my brother-in-law's books!

Tuna with Soy-Infused Butter over Ginger Garlic Grits

1 lb Tuna, cut into 1-2-inch cubes
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 Tbsp soy sauce
Toasted sesame seeds
1Tbsp fresh cilantro or parsley, minced

Melt the butter over medium heat in a skillet until frothy. Tip the tuna cubes into skillet and arrange in a single layer. Sprinkle with half the coriander powder. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes, just until the tuna becomes opaque around the edges. Carefully turn each chunk over. Distribute the soy sauce in-between the tuna chunks and shake the pan to mix things up. Sprinkle tuna with the remaining coriander powder and cook another minute. Remove from heat and place tuna cubes on top of a mound of creamy grits or polenta. Spoon a bit of the sauce around the polenta and sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro.

Cook's note: I use Trader Joe's frozen tuna chunks for a fast weeknight preparation of this dish, and I have to say it is really very good!

Ginger Garlic Grits

2 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch fresh ginger
1 shallot, peeled and minced
1 Seranno chili or jalapeño pepper, diced, or 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
3-1/4 cups water
3/4 cups white hominy grits
1/2 tsp salt

In a medium pot, sauté the garlic, ginger, shallot and pepper for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the water and bring to a boil. Stir in the grits and salt and return to a boil. Reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook about 13-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Raspberrry Pomegranate Chicken Wings

1 dozen wings, trimmed and split
1/2 lemon quartered

Sauce:
4 Tbsp butter (1/2 stick, cut up)
1/4 cup Tabasco sauce, or other favorite hot sauce
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp cumin powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1 Serrano chili or Jalapeño pepper, minced

Preheat oven to 400F. Bring wings to room temperature (or the butter will gel on very cold wings). Stir all sauce ingredients together in a glass bowl and microwave for 10-second intervals with stirring, until butter melts. Toss together with wings in a large bowl, and lay out on a baking pan sprayed with a bit of oil. Bake for 10 minutes. Baste with sauce and bake another 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 350F and turn wings over. Bake another 10-15 minutes until cooked through and browned. Serve with lemon wedges.

Cook's note: Pomegranate molasses is a sweet-sour reduction of pomegranate juice used extensively in Middle Eastern cuisines. It almost has balsamic vinegary quality with a robust aromatic flavor.

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms with Feta

4 whole large Portobello mushroom caps
8 oz Feta cheese, flavored varieties are a plus!
2 cloves garlic, pressed through a press
about 1/2 cup olive oil

Heat a (charcoal or gas) grill. Distribute the garlic about the fins of the mushrooms and douce the mushroom caps evenly with a good bit of olive oil to moisten well. Grill fin-side down for 5 minutes. Flip and continue grilling for 5 more minutes. Top with crumbled Feta cheese and grill another 2-3 minutes, covered.