Polenta with corn succotash

I owe this blog post to Dana who has the most fantastic fresh recipes on her blog (danatreat.com). Recently I have been off meat... I am finding it over facing. I don't know whether I have been 'meated' out or that a stomach bug I had last week is still lingering. Whatever the reason it has made me look at different vegetable and salad recipes.

As Ian is an avid meat eater I always like to choose veggie dishes that can be served alongside any meat. Yesterday I chose Dana's dish as it was light, summery and looked fantastic. I originally was wanting to make the polenta from scratch however my local store didn't sell cornmeal, so I cheated and bought a roll of basil herb polenta (which worked well but was a little to firm for my liking and wasn't buttery enough). All the ingredients were locally sourced, the corn from Chilliwack, the tomatoes from Abbottsford which for me makes it taste even better. I added an additional onion which was not called for in the original recipe. To be honest you could make it a true succotash and add lima beans and possibly a red pepper. Anything that is fresh and summery. The most important ingredient which sets this dish alive is the basil. Please please please make sure that this is fresh. I used to find basil really soapy but on this recipe it is the best.

I made a huge dish of this summery delight and was surprised that we had no leftovers. A good meal was had by all. I served this dish alongside Cajun crusted chicken for Ian as it had a spicy kick to it from the jalapeño pepper and I had it with tuna mayonnaise. It would go so well with grilled pitta bread or even just on its own. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks Dana.

Polenta with Corn Succotash. (Serves 4 as side dish, 2 as main)

Polenta

3 Ears of Corn (shave the kernels off)

1 Cup Grape Tomatoes cut in half

1/2 Red Onion finely diced

1 Cup of Tomato Sauce (I used passatta)

1 Clove of Garlic minced

1 Jalepeno pepper diced

1 Cup of  Basil finely sliced

Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan

S&P

If making the polenta from scratch make according to the package and allow to firm up so you can cut it into triangles. If like me you use the rolls of polenta slice up into 1cm thick discs. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Meanwhile sauté the kernels and onion in a little oil until tender, season with S&P and allow to cool. Whilst these are sauteing marinade the tomatoes in a small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. When the corn and onion mixture is cool add the tomatoes, 1/2 cup of basil and the jalapeño pepper and mix to combine.

Pour the tomato sauce into a 9 x 13" baking dish. Sprinkle over the garlic and season with S&P if needed. Layer the polenta slices/triangles all over the base of the dish.. Evenly spread the corn, onion and tomato mixture over the polenta and sprinkle with Parmesan.. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes covered, remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese has browned. Remove from oven, allow to stand for 5-10 minutes ans sprinkle with remaining half cup of basil. Et voila a gorgeous yummy summery dish.

Spaghetti Sauce

I apologize for the delay in my blog posts. Life has taken over and cooking has taken a back step. It is difficult to plan a future, work extra hours and have time for family and continue to (apparently) have a life!!! Prior to this weekend just gone I worked 10 shifts out of 13 and managed to sleep 24 hours within that time frame and yes I just about managed to function. Ian too was working long hours spending day after day completing his inventory, which seamed and probably felt like an eternity. We were once again like ships passing in the night. For most of the time we ate take out which consisted of pizza x 2, Chinese x 2 and whatever junk we could get our little hands on. The only thing that kept us going was the long weekend where we had booked a 3 night stay on the Sunshine coast. We stayed at The Ruby Lake resort and it was wonderful. The resort was run by an Italian family and every need was catered for. The best part was that they ran an Italian restaurant, where all the produce was grown and sourced locally. The food was to die for. Fresh seafood, pasta, salads, tender meats, you name it nothing could be faulted. Rarely do Ian and I  have a three course meal, but for that weekend we had three. 

Ruby Lake resort make the best pasta sauce I have ever had in my life. On return from our trip I thought I would try and give it a go myself. There was definitely lots of garlic in the sauce and some pureed onions, so that is where I started. Three garlic cloves were crushed and one medium onion minced.  As I do not own a mixer, my knife went into overdrive and so did my tear ducts, but all I was thinking about was the finished result. I kept this sauce simple, normally I'm adding balsamic vinegar and sugar, but not this time. Once the onions and garlic sweated off, in went 1/2 large can of crushed tomatoes, some salt and pepper, bay leaves and enough water to loosen the sauce. A dash of milk was also added to mellow the sauce, a tip I learned from Nigella Lawson.  This was all simmered together on a low heat for around an hour. It turned our perfect. I have no real photos to show you (apart from it being in the jar) as I am planning on making spaghetti on Saturday as a quick easy dinner after work. Photos will then be added.

Spaghetti Sauce

Olive Oil

1 medium onion minced

3 garlic clove crushed and minced

4 Bay leaves

1/2 Large can Crushed Tomatoes

1/4 Cup water

1/4 Cup Milk

Salt & Pepper

In a large skillet or pan heat up a small amount of olive oil. Add the onions and sweat until translucent, (you may want to add a small drop of water if the the pan becomes too dry) then add the garlic and soften. Pour in half the can of tomatoes, and add salt and pepper to taste and the bay leaves. Add the water and milk and mix the ingredients until combined. Then simmer over a low heat for approx 1 hour. If the sauce is too thick add some more water or milk. Remove the bay leaves. Serve with pasta and sprinkle parmesan overtop. Its that simple and oh so very tasty....

Cobb Salad

Cobb Salad (Serves 2)

Box of mixed lettuce leaves

1 Avocado

2 Boiled Eggs

6 Crispy Cooked Bacon Rashers

1 Cooked Chicken Breast

Blue Cheese
Tomatoes

For the dressing

1/3 White wine Vinegar

2/3 Olive Oil
Squeeze of lemon juice

1 Tsp Mustard

I garlic clove crushed

Pinch Salt and Pepper

Dried Chilli Flakes (Optional)

Dice all the salad ingredients into bite size pieces (with exception of the salad leaves). Place the lettuce leaves onto a plate or into a bowl and arrange the chicken, avocado, bacon, cheese, eggs and tomato over top.  To make the dressing whisk all ingredients together. Season to taste and pour generously over the salad.

Chicken Cacciatore

I love this type of dish. Simple flavors that all go into one pot to create a gorgeous rich tasting meal. Originally from Italy this dish can be served alongside rice, pasta, polenta, salad, potatoes and fresh greens. I usually like to serve it with fettuccine drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with parsley and parmesan. Yesterday though, I served it with steamed rice. Many chicken cacciatore recipes call for mushrooms which would be awesome, however Ian is allergic to these friendly fungi so we have to steer clear.

I decided to make this dish as I was having such a lazy day that I didn't want to be in the kitchen for ages. Ian was at work and I was happy revising for a potential new job. (Yes revising... how sad is that?). I really didn't want to break the momentum but I managed to pull myself away from my books and took a small break. When I say small it was less than 10 minutes, I began to color the chicken and chop the garlic and herbs. Once the chicken was browned I dumped everything into the pan with a can of chopped tomatoes and a few olives and allowed it to simmer and reduce. That's how simple it was. I then went back to my ventilation revision. After 30 minutes of simmering I removed the chicken pieces (drumsticks) and then continued to reduce the sauce on the stove until it was thick and ruby red. (The reason I removed the drumsticks were that they were so tender they were falling of the bone and I was worried that any further simmering may have caused the chicken to disintegrate). This reduction took a further 20 mins. Once reduced the chicken pieces were placed back into the pan and warmed through.

It was a great dinner. I think next time though I would use a combination of chicken breasts on the bone  and drumsticks. The reason for this is that I love drumsticks and Ian loves the breast!!! (Take that as you will!!).

Chicken Cacciatore (serves 4)
8-10 Chicken drumsticks
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 sprig rosemary chopped
Olive oil
10 Sage leaves thinly sliced
1 Cup of chicken stock or white wine)
Splash of white wine vinegar if not using wine
8 Black Olives
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Large Can Diced Tomatoes
Large pinch Dried Red Chilli Flakes

Start by browning the chicken in the olive oil in a deep pan/ dutch oven/ casserole dish over a medium high heat. Once browned add the garlic, sage and rosemary and soften. Add the stock, vinegar or wine and stir lifting off any brown pieces from the bottom off the pan. Then add the tomato paste , diced tomatoes, chilli flakes and olives. Mix to combine. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for approx 20-30 minutes until the sauce is reduced. I you feel the chicken is cooked through but the sauce needs to be thicker remove the chicken and continue to reduce the sauce. Once you have the desired thickness for the sauce add the chicken pieces back into the pan and warm through. Season with salt and pepper if required. I found that the olives added enough salty flavor and the red chilli flakes gave it the kick it needed. Once ready serve alongside your chosen side.

Preserving food

For a while now I have been thinking that of ways to preserve food. I have made jams before, but I would love to try canning and drying foods. In the future I plan to grow my own vegetables so learning to preserve food will be beneficial to me. I have read and watched programs on how to to preserve some foods but now I have to do it for real. My only concern is once canned or preserved how long will they last for. I suppose I will find this out with experience.

I am going to start with canning my baked beans and tomato sauce and if we catch any fish on our adventures I will have a go at canning them too (All our fish so far have been way to small to eat). I know that I will need to purchase a pressure cooker to help seal the cans so that will be the next outlay. A friend at work tried canning for the first time this year, so I shall have to ask her what issues she had if any. I would also like to try making my own salami, but I will start of with the canning first.

I have be experimenting with making oven roasted tomatoes, it is such a great way of using up excess tomatoes. My sister gave me a great recipe for chicken in a tomato pesto sauce and I have wanted to make my own tomato pesto for a while. I often make basil pesto, so I knew that I could adopt the same principles for the tomato pesto. Last week I headed down to Granville Island and picked up a huge bag of tomatoes from the discount bin for a dollar. I threw away any soft split tomatoes, but to be honest there was probably about two that were unsuitable. With the others I cut them in half, coated them in oil, sprinkled them with a little sea salt and  spread them out on a baking sheet before slow roasting them in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 8 hours. Yes I know that is a long time but I did not want them to burn. I allowed them to shrink to half there size and become wrinkly. I originally thought that they would have a chewy consistency throughout, a little like the store bought sun dried tomatoes but my tomatoes turned out chewy but moist and the flavor was to die for. They were sweet like candy and the tomato flavor was intense, perfect for a tomato pesto.

Tomato Pesto

20 Halves Oven roasted tomatoes

2 tbs Tomato paste

Handful of Basil

Parmesan

Olive oil

Pine nuts

Garlic

S&P

(When using these ingredients add them to your personal taste) Firstly blitz the tomatoes and strain if there is too much juice present. Place back into the blender and add the remaining ingredients,. Use the oil to thin the mixture to a nice consistency and add salt and pepper to taste. Et voila. This can keep in the fridge for up to a week. Its great to use as spreads  as well as in pasta.