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.