Polenta Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• One 6-ounce package portobello mushroom caps, cut into cubes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-1/4 pounds ground beef or turkey
  
• Salt and pepper
• One 14.5-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup instant polenta
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinking
• One 10-ounce package frozen green beans, thawed and drained

Make it your own
Serve the beef mixture over couscous, pasta or rice.

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lower the heat and simmer.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt to a boil. Whisk in the polenta until thickened, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the cream, parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until smooth; pour into a large casserole dish.

3. Stir the green beans into the beef mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring, until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture over the polenta and top with more parmesan.

Chicken and Scallions with Smoky Romesco

• 2 ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
• About 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO )
• 1 1-inch-thick slice good-quality white bread, crust discarded and bread torn into small pieces
• About 1/2 cup blanched almonds (a couple of generous handfuls)
• 1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, grated or chopped
• 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper
• 3-4 tablespoons sherry vinegar or dry sherry (a generous splash)
• 2 large roasted red peppers, chopped
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 pounds large scallions (about 3 bunches)
• Olive oil cooking spray
• A generous handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Crusty bread, for serving

Preparation

Pre-heat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high.

Place the anchos in a small saucepan and cover them with water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and reconstitute until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove the anchos from the water (reserve the water) and pat dry, then coarsely chop.

In a large skillet, heat the EVOO , eight turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add the bread and almonds to the pan and toast until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the onion to the pan, increase the heat a bit and cook for a few minutes to soften. Add the garlic and paprika; season with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple minutes more, stirring constantly. Stir in the vinegar (or sherry). Transfer the contents of the pan, the toasted bread and almonds, the chopped anchos and the roasted peppers to a food processor. Mix until smooth, adding a splash of the reserved ancho liquid, if necessary.

Spray the chicken and scallions with the cooking spray; season with salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken and scallions on the grill or grill pan and cook, turning once, until marked evenly, about 5 minutes for the scallions and 10-12 minutes for the chicken. Dress the chicken with the parsley and lemon juice and serve with the scallions, crusty bread and romesco

Korean-Style Chicken or Pork Noodle Bowls

• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 large cloves garlic, grated
• About 1/4 cup Tamari (dark soy sauce)
• About 3 tablespoons honey or agave syrup (eyeball it)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• About 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (a couple of healthy splashes)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Sriracha, plus more to pass around the table
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thigh meat, chicken breast meat or thin-cut boneless pork chops, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 small cabbage, very thinly shredded
• 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced or chopped
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.

While the pasta is working, using a blender or food processor, combine a splash of the boiling water (before you add salt), the ginger, garlic, Tamari, honey (or agave), tomato paste, vinegar, sesame oil and hot sauce until smooth.

Get all of the remaining ingredients ready for a quick stir fry. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Add the chicken or pork and stir fry until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and bell pepper and stir fry for 2 minutes, then add the scallions and ginger sauce and toss for 1 minute. Pour over the drained noodles and top with the sesame seeds. Pass more hot sauce around the table.

Eggplant Marinara with Rigatoni and Zucchini

• 1 pound small, firm eggplant
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling, divided
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 pound whole wheat or whole grain rigatoni rigate or other short-cut rigate pasta
• 2 small, firm zucchini (about 1 pound), thinly sliced
• Flour, for coating
• 3 large cloves garlic, grated or chopped, divided
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• A couple sprigs rosemary, finely chopped, or a healthy teaspoon dried leaves
• A few sprigs thyme, finely chopped, or a scant teaspoon dried leaves
• About 1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 1 large roasted red pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can plum tomatoes in puree (28 ounces)
• Crushed red pepper (optional)
• A handful of fresh basil, chopped or torn
• A handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for grating and passing around the table

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 450°F.

Halve the eggplant and score the exposed flesh with shallow crisscross cuts. Drizzle or lightly brush the cut surface with EVOO and season with salt and black pepper. Place on a baking sheet cut side down and roast until tender, 15-18 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.

While the pasta is working, season the zucchini with salt and black pepper. Let it drain on a paper towel-lined plate for a few minutes. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO, two turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Lightly coat the zucchini in flour. Working in batches, add the zucchini to the pan and cook, turning, until light golden, 1-2 minutes per batch. Add 1 clove garlic with the last batch. In a large, deep skillet or heavy saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons EVOO, two turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 cloves garlic and the onion and season with the rosemary, thyme, salt and black pepper. Cook until tender, 5-6 minutes.

Using a food processor, mix the chicken stock, roasted pepper and tomato paste until smooth. Stir into the onion mixture and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Stir in the canned tomatoes and crush with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Return the sauce to a boil for a minute or so. Season with the crushed red pepper, if using. Lower the heat to a simmer.

Remove the eggplant from the oven. Scoop out the flesh and add to the food processor. Puree for 20 seconds and add to the marinara sauce.

Toss the pasta with the marinara sauce and top with the basil, parsley, fried zucchini and a flurry of grated cheese. Pass more cheese around the table.

Pastalaya

Ingredients

Grease from 1 lb cooked bacon (set aside bacon)

2 lbs pasta, spaghetti or other

1 lb pork shoulder, trimmed and cubed

1 lb chicken thighs, cubed

2 lb sausage, Jacobs smoked preferred, sliced

2 white onions, diced

1 red onion, diced

2 bell peppers, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 bunch green onions, chopped

3/4 cup parsley, chopped

1 small jar minced garlic

1 can Rotel, original

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

4 cans of chicken broth, 14 oz. size + enough water to total 12 cups liquid

Black pepper, to taste

Garlic powder, to taste

Onion powder, to taste

Slap 'Yo Mama seasoning, to taste

Preparation

Saute bacon, then set meat aside. Add sausage to bacon grease and cook for about 10 minutes to sweat out grease. Remove sausage.

Add chicken and cook until chicken is brown (slightly caramelized), then remove.

Add pork in grease and cook until all the grease has been cooked out and pork is caramelizing in the pot.

Add onions and celery and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes, until the onions pick up all the caramelized flavor from the bottom of the pot.

Add Rotel, garlic, and bell peppers and cook for another 10 minutes until pork and seasonings are tender.

Add the sausage, both cans of soup, and the chicken broth/water. Bring liquid back to a boil and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes under low-med heat.

Add chicken, parsley, and any additional seasonings (onion powder, garlic powder, Slap 'Yo Mama, black pepper) and simmer 10-15 more minutes. Then simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes and retaste the liquid to verify balance of flavors.

(If using spaghetti, ensure pasta is broken into three (3) sections prior to adding into pot.)

Add the pasta to the liquid, and stir to mix all ingredients thoroughly. With heat adjusted to medium-low, cook until all liquid is gone (stirring occasionally making sure pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pot).

Add green onions at the very end of the cooking process (with just a hint of liquid remaining.)

Turn off heat, cover the pot and let stand for at least 15 minutes.

Before serving, flip the pasta over to ensure all liquid has been absorbed (if not, cover for an additional 10-15 minutes and repeat the process).

Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced chicken breast meat
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained
• 1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce
• 8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and spray with vegetable cooking spray. Saute chicken with cumin and coriander until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the cilantro, black beans, and green chile peppers.
3. Spread half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish. Place 4 tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, and sprinkle with half of the cheese and half of the sour cream. Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese, and make another layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining chicken mixture over the tortillas. Cover dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove the cover, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and dot with sour cream. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Kung Pao Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each
• Marinade:
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons cold water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• Sauce:
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon black or red rice vinegar, or red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chicken broth or water
• 3 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• a few drops sesame oil
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• Other:
• 6 to 8 small dried red chili peppers, or as desired
• 2 garlic cloves,
• 1/2 cup skinless, unsalted peanuts
• 3 - 4 cups oil for deep-frying and stir-frying

Preparation:

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Mix in the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, water and cornstarch. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the sauce ingredients, whisking in the cornstarch last.

Remove the seeds from the chile peppers and chop. Peel and finely chop the garlic.

Heat the oil for deep-frying to between 360 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully slide the chicken into the wok, and deep-fry for about 1 minute, until the cubes separate and turn white. Remove and drain on paper towels. Drain all but 2 tablespoons oil from the wok.

Add the chilies peppers and stir-fry until the skins starts to darken and blister. Add the garlic. Stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Add the deep-fried chicken back into the pan. Stir-fry briefly, then push up to the sides of the wok and add add the sauce in the middle, stirring quickly to thicken. Stir in the peanuts. Mix everything together and serve hot.