Polenta Pizza from Mark Bittman

Need to try this, it looked good.

Time: About 45 minutes, plus one hour’s chilling

The Minimalist: Your Morning Pizza (February 18, 2009)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for pan

1/2 cup milk, preferably whole

Salt

1 cup coarse cornmeal

Freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) chopped pancetta

1 pound spinach, washed, trimmed and dried

1 to 1 1/2 cups Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled.

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees; brush a layer of olive oil on a pizza pan or cookie sheet. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milk with 2 1/2 cups water and a large pinch of salt. Bring just about to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and add cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking all the while to prevent lumps from forming. Turn heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently, until thick, 10 or 15 minutes. If mixture becomes too thick, whisk in a bit more water; you want a consistency approaching thick oatmeal.

2. Stir 1 tablespoon oil into cooked cornmeal (polenta). Spoon it onto prepared pan, working quickly so polenta does not stiffen; spread it evenly to a thickness of about 1/2 inch all over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and put it in refrigerator until it is firm, an hour or more (you can refrigerate polenta overnight if you prefer).

3. Put polenta in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it begins to brown and crisp on edges. Meanwhile, put two tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and pancetta is nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to take onion and pancetta out of pan; set aside. Add spinach to skillet and sauté until it releases its water and pan becomes dry; sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper.

4. Take polenta out of oven, sprinkle with Gorgonzola, then spread onion-pancetta mixture and spinach evenly on top of cheese; drizzle with another tablespoon olive oil. Put pizza back in oven for two minutes, or until cheese begins to melt and pancetta and vegetables are warmed through. Cut into slices and serve hot or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 servings.

Variation: Before you put polenta in oven, top it with thin slices of fresh mozzarella, two or three thinly sliced Roma tomatoes or a bit of tomato sauce, and a handful of fresh basil leaves.

Fluffy waffles

1 3/4 c flour
2t baking powder
1T sugar
1t vanilla
1/2 t salt
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1 3/4 c milk
1/2 c oil

Mix together all dry ingredients, set aside.
Mix together all wet indredients except the egg whites.
Beat the egg whites with a wire wisk until soft peaks form.
Add the wet ingredients into the dry one. Make sure everything is moistened, some lumps will remain. Gently fold in the egg whites. Cook in a waffle iron.

Top with sliced strawberries mixed with 2-4 T sugar.

Yum Yum

Chinese Dumplings

(perfect for Chinese New Year) and great fun for the kids to make. It really doesn't matter what they look like, they taste yummy. They freeze well.  I put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer and then move to a zipper top freezer bag.  Just take out as many as you need and boil....

2-3 green onions minced small (or Chinese Chives)
2 ribs celery (1 if Chinese celery) chopped fine
1 pound ground pork (or you can use ground chicken)
dried or fresh parsley (sprinkle some on)
1T grated fresh ginger
1 cup cabbage (chop small--I use Dole coleslaw mix and chop finer)
1/2 cup grated carrots that are also chopped small.

1 egg beaten
1T cornstarch
2t sesame oil (get this at an asian market, unique taste)
salt and pepper to taste (just sprinkle some in)
(mix the 4 preceeding ingredients together)

Purchased dumpling (round) or wonton (somewhat square) skins

Mix the meat and veggie mixture (use your hands, it's more fun) add the egg mixture. Mix it up. Drop buy skant teaspoonfulls onto the dumpling skins. Seal with water (use your finger to dip in a bowl of water and run a wet finger around the edges.) You can pleat these babies, make them into purses, or use a fork and go around the edges like ravoli. It all tastes the same. Get creative.

Bring a pan of water to a boil. The size of the pan dictates how many dumplings you can cook at once. (2 QT do 10-12 at a time, more if you are in a hurry and stir so they don't stick.) Cook them about 7 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon onto a platter.

Dip into purchased dumpling sauce or make your own...1T sesame oil, 1.5 T soy sauce, powdered garlic to taste...yum yum

Red Curry, Shrimp and Green Beans

I love Thai food and this came from ingredients I had on the counter when it was time to make dinner

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1T dumpling sauce (pour over the raw shrimp before cooking)
1 red pepper, cored, seeded and sliced in strips
2 cups string beans, cut into one inch pieces, on the diagonal
1/2 sweet onion chopped into course chunks
1T Thai red curry paste
1 14.5 oz can of coconut milk
1T grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic chopped fine (or dried garlic)
1 T olive oil

Cook rice.
Use Jasmine rice (2 scoops in a rice cooker) with 1/3 the above can of coconut milk plus necessary water for cooking.

Make the shrimp and other stuff....
Add olive oil to the pan, start to saute the garlic and add the peppers and onions. Add in the green beans, and the curry paste. Saute until tender crisp. Grate the ginger and add the shrimp. Saute the shrimp until almost cooked. Add in the coconut milk and simmer until everything is done.

Serve over the jasmine rice and enjoy!

Brownie wonder bars

1 package Giradelli Chocolate brownie mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1C coconut
1 stick butter (melted)
2c crushed chocolate graham crackers
1c chocolate chips
1 c mini marshmellows

Make brownies according to package directions, set aside

Melt butter and pour into a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Add crushed graham crackers and mix with the butter to form an even base.
Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly. Drop the brownie batter by spoonfuls to cover, spread with a spatula if necessary. Sprinkle coconut, sprinkle marshmellows and drizzle sweetened condensed milk evenly over all.

Place in 325 oven for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting. These were great with vanilla and/or chocolate icecream on top for a decadent dessert!

Strawberries and Cream Trifle

This trifle uses the following layers:
Lady finger cookies soaked in heavy cream for 2 minutes (! used about 8 oz of cookies and 1 cup of heavy cream for soaking)
Whipped cream (2c with 2t vanilla and 1T powdered sugar)
Frozen or fresh strawberries and raspberries
Vanilla pudding (I made one from scratch, recipe below, otherwise use 2 package of the dry mix)
Chocolate drizzle (I used Baker's dipping chocolate drizzled with a spoon)

Make the pudding, and then make the whipped cream.

To assemble, use a clear trifle bowl or clear mixing bowl so you can see the layers. Start with the ladyfingers, add a layer of berries, half of the pudding, and half of the whipped cream. Drizzle with some of the chocolate. Repeat. Use some whole berries for garnish on the top. Invite a hungry group of friends to help you devour this!

Vanilla Pudding
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups 2% milk
4 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.
Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolk; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in butter and vanilla.
Cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside

Scallops and Grapefruit over spinach saute

What to make when you have these two ingredients....

Yesterday, I purchased scallops and when I got back to our shore house, I looked around and realized I had about 8 grapefruits. Sounded like an interesting citrus sauce.

first, start the spinach.
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 sweet onion sliced
1T olive oil, and chopped garlic to taste ( I use at least 1 clove)

Saute the above ingredients in the heated oil until cooked. Add a large package of fresh baby spinach leaves in the saute pan, remove from heat and cover. Toss occasionally to wilt all the spinach.

Now make the scallops

1 pink grapefruit (need about 1 teaspoon of zest and 1/2 cup of strained juice)
3/4 lb of sea scallops patted dry
1T olive oil
1T butter
1 clove garlic chopped

Heat the butter and the olive oil until the butter starts to brown and add the scallops. Cook about 2 minutes a side until you have a brown sear on the outside (it might take a minute or two longer if the scallops are huge.) Flip and cook the other side. Remove from pan to a plate. Add the grapefruit juice and zest to the pan and scrape up all those brown bits. Cook until the sauce has reduced by half.

Put the spinach on a plate, arrange the scallops, drizzle the sauce over and that makes a quick and yummy meal!