Sunday Dinners are Back!

Anytime that I am able to in the fall and winter, I spend my Sunday afternoons in the kitchen. It is one of my favorite things to do... I use the time to experiment with a new recipe or an old favorite. Sometimes, I throw a pot of sugo on the stove (sugo=pasta sauce) and let it simmer all day while I make other yummy treats. It was another fall-like weekend last weekend, and although I was out of town, when I returned home all I wanted was a home cooked "Sunday dinner." So, I pulled out a new Rachael Ray racipe and got to work. It took me about 45 minutes to make these dishes and they turned out incredible. Quick-cooking polenta is one of my favorite new dishes, especially as it is prepared in this recipe. It is so versatile! This is definitely a new favorite dinner menu in my house!!! Serve it with a salad and a bottle of Pinot Noir and you are good to go!

Italian Barbecued Chicken with Polenta (serves 4)

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts (on the larger side)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
4 thick cut slices pancetta or bacon, chopped (note: I used two and it was the perfect amount!)
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (don't use the really nice stuff, it reduces so there is no need to)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup tomato sauce (one of the small cans)
2 cups chicken stock, divided (1/2 cup divided from 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup quick cooking polenta (I found this by the instant mashed potatoes)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated Parmiginao Reggiano cheese
Torn fresh basil leaves


Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, poultry seasoning and grill seasoning. Heat 2 tablespoons EVOO in a medium size skillet and brown the chicken a few minutes on each side to put some of its flavor and drippings into the pan. Transfer the chicken to the oven and roast for 15 minutes more, or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, add 1 more tablespoon of EVOO to the pan and cook the pancetta or bacon, if using, until crisp. Add the onion, garlic and rosemary, cook for 5 minutes, then add the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer 5 minutes more.
Bring the remaining 1 1/2 cups stock and milk to a boil, whisk in the polenta and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the polenta for 2-3 minutes until it thickens, stir in the butter and cheese, then remove from the heat.
Remove the chicken from the oven and turn in the barbecue sauce. Fill shallow bowls with polenta. Top the polenta with the chicken, spooning the extra sauce over the chicken and garnishing with some torn basil leaves.

(note: I poured the polenta on a large serving dish (it sets very quickly!), topped it with the chicken breasts and then poured the sauce over the chicken and tore fresh basil over the top - great presentation!)

Courtesy of http://www.rachaelray.com/

Fall is here early....

Here in the Twin Cities, Mother Nature has quickly reminded us that the "unofficial" end of summer (aka Labor Day weekend) has come and gone. The temperatures have been in the 60's this weekend, which gets me very excited for fall cooking and wine drinking! Andrew and I sipped on a 2006 Seghesio Zinfandel yesterday evening and commented how nice it was to drink red wine on a cool night. This red is especially good, spicy with lots of big berry notes exploding in your mouth. Great with something as simple as pizza or as elegant as steak tenderloin. Definitely add a couple of bottles of Seghesio (retail $16-$20) to your fall collection!

Summer Grilling

It has been a long time since my last post! This summer has been incredibly busy, which means most of our meals consist of a trip to the grocery store for something to throw on the grill and a salad to complement it.

Tonight, as an example, I stopped at Costco for a filet of salmon to grill (always my simple go-to fish!). I was reminded of the amazing lamb chops that I purchased there a week ago and intended to post about! (I am discovering the wonders of Costco little by little... soon to be an addict).

The lamb chops from Costco are affordable and really delicious. I actually pulled a recipe from Rachael Ray for some inspiration. I drizzled the chops with olive oil, salt and pepper and Andrew took them to the grill. Per the recipe, I made a rosemary walnut pesto in my food processor to drizzle over the chops. On the side, I served wilted spinach and a small serving of gnocchi. It was simple and delicious and would pair well with a bottle of pinot noir. However, this dish ended up being a little heavy for the summer months. I'd recommend saving the walnut pesto for the fall (it was delicious!) and substituting a light lemon/rosemary/olive oil marinade for the lamb chops.

Just whisk lemon juice and olive oil together, add chopped rosemary, salt and pepper. Combine the marinade and the chops into a ziploc (marinate as long as you can, overnight would be great). Pair this with a light salad or pasta dish and a slightly chilled pinot noir on a warm summer night and you are good to go.



By the way... you can buy 3 lbs. of cherries at Costco for $9.99! (Like I said, quickly becoming an addict).

Any favorite grilling recipes? Please share!

Mini Meat Loaves

This Mother's Day, I wanted to grill something different from the norm. So, I looked to the June Issue of Food & Wine Magazine, which highlights great grilling recipes. I decided on the Mini Meat Loaves, which turned out to be out of this world. The special touch was the piece of fresh mozzarella cheese stuffed into the middle. For an added touch, I added a few rinsed and drained roasted red peppers and one large clove of minced garlic to the bread crumb mix that you pulse in the food processor - I would recommend doing this!!!

I did not serve the grilled/roasted tomatoes on the side, but I think I would next time, it would definitely add an incredible layer of flavor to these already yummy loaves.

Grilled Mini Meat Loaves (Food & Wine Magazine, June 2008)
Serves 4

Ingredients
Two 1/3-inch-thick slices of firm white bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped basil
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
1 pound ground beef chuck
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Four 1 1/2-inch cubes of fresh mozzarella

Optional: 4 medium tomatoes, halved crosswise

Directions
In a food processor, pulse the bread, scallions, basil and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until the bread is coarsely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the ground chuck, grated cheese, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and blend well. Shape the meat into four thick, 5-inch-long ovals. Make an indentation in the center of each meat loaf and tuck in a piece of mozzarella, then cover the cheese with the meat mixture to enclose it. Reshape the meat into ovals with slightly tapered ends. Light a grill. Rub the meat loaves with olive oil and grill over high heat, turning, until well browned all over and firm to the touch, about 8 minutes total; the loaves should still be slightly pink in the center.

Optional: Rub the cut sides of the tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the tomatoes, cut side down, until lightly charred, about 1 minute. Turn and grill until the tomato juices begin bubbling, about 1 minute longer. Serve the meat loaves right away, with the tomatoes.

MAKE AHEAD The uncooked meat loaves can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before grilling.

Chickpea and Arugula Salad

With the ever so slightly warmer weather these last couple weeks, I've been in the mood for salads. I found this recipe today while reading one of my favorite blogs, Design*Sponge.

I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds delish - you can't really go wrong with arugula or roasted garlic! Enjoy....

Chickpea Salad with Arugula and Roasted Garlic (with good bread)

1 medium red onion, very thinly sliced
1 ½ cups of chickpeas (from a can, thoroughly drained and rinsed)
5oz of baby arugula
juice from half a lemon
4-5 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
sea salt
crushed red pepper
grana padano or parmesan

In a bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar and a little sea salt and crushed red pepper. Whisk the dressing together and then add the chickpeas and let them marinate for a few minutes in the dressing. Combine the arugula and red onion in your salad bowl. Remove the chickpeas from the dressing, add them to the salad and toss. Add a bit more dressing to the salad if needed. Grate a bit of grana padano or parmesan on top and serve.

roasted garlic (with good bread)

a few bulbs of garlic
sea salt and pepper
1 or 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
a loaf of good bread

Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel away the outer layer of skin on the garlic bulbs, but leave the cloves in tact. Cut off the tip of the bulb (approx. ¼ inch), exposing the cloves. Place the bulbs in a shallow baking dish, and drizzle them with the olive oil. Rub the bulbs with your fingers to be sure they are evenly coated and then sprinkle a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper over them. Cover your baking dish with aluminum foil and roast the bulbs in the oven for 35-40 minutes (or until the cloves of garlic are soft). You can squeeze the delicious roasted garlic cloves directly from their skins onto hunks of the good bread or mash the garlic and toss it with pasta (and any fragrant oil left in the baking dish) or add it to mashed potatoes…it tastes good with just about anything.

Turkey Burgers

I am a huge turkey burger fan. When I am out to eat and I am in the mood for a burger, I turn to the turkey burger option most of the time (okay, I admit, I am a sucker for a juicy beef burger now and again, but I tend to err on the healthy side). Andrew and I were FINALLY introduced to the Edina Grill last night. It is sad that it took so long... we have been missing out. For "first-timers" like us, our friends recommended the turkey burger hands-down, which I found unusual (turkey burgers are not usually the star of the menu). Once I read the description ("Fresh ground turkey, peanuts, jalapenos, onion, garlic and curry seasonings blended together and topped with pepper jack cheese, poblano peanut pesto aioli and iceberg lettuce. 'Voted Best Turkey Burger in the Twin Cities'"), I understood. Andrew and I both ordered it and were blown away by the combination of flavors.

I love making turkey burgers at home, so I promise to post my version of the Edina Grill Turkey Burger the next time we are grilling out at home.


P.S. Pair this burger with the Hennepin Ale. It is a Belgian-style unfiltered wheat ale with a citrusy flavor profile. (Brewed in New York). Similar to an ale that we love and can only get at the Great Dane in Madison, WI, so we were excited to discover this one!

Golden Fig Fine Foods

For those of you who have browsed your way down Grand Avenue in Saint Paul lately, you probably ran into the most wonderful treasure that I discovered two weekends ago. It is called Golden Fig Fine Foods. I was lucky enough to hear Golden Fig owner Laurie Crowell speak at a networking event. Laurie grew up in Wisconsin but worked under Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa) in The Hamptons in college (and I believe for a year or two after that). Ina continues to be a great mentor to her. You can see Ina's influence reflected in Laurie's shop. This quaint shop offers everything from kitchenware to gourmet chocolates, MN- and WI-made cheeses and other handcrafted goodies (read: homemade vinegars that looked out of this world!). It appears that all of her products come from the Midwest (another plus!). There were lots of opportunities to sample, as well. I picked up a small jar of horseradish mustard that has a huge kick to it - fresh from a small sandwich-shop owner in Chicago. I've used it on sandwiches and in a vinaigrette dressing - I'm obsessed! Now that the weather is warming up, take advantage and stroll down Grand, making sure to stop and purchase some goodies from Golden Fig!