CAPONATA & POLENTA - a few ways

I love the challenge of introducing new foods to people. I saw this recipe years ago, made it for myself and the husband. We LOVED the caponata and polenta!! (Hubby is a self-proclaimed 'grit hater' and thought he would strongly dislike polenta as well. Wrong!) This pairing has become a 'comfort food combination' for us over the years.

The versatility of the caponata is that you can use many ingredients and still end up with a great product!! In fact, I have NEVER made it the same way twice!!

The great thing about the polenta is that you can make it ahead (the morning of or night before serving), chill it, cut into desired shapes, brush with oil and pan fry/grill/or bake it in the oven. It takes on a crispy outer edge and stays divinely creamy inside! This has pleased the taste buds of all I've served -- a surprise to a great many of them! --TC

CAPONATA AND HERB POLENTA Serves 4

Caponata:
2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes *start with less if you're not keen on a little spice creeping up on you --TC
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cubanelle Italian long green pepper, seeded and diced, optional
1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 cup large green olives, pitted and chopped *I omit these and just use black olives --TC
1/2 cup Kalamata black olives, pitted and chopped *I quarter these --TC
1 (3-ounce) jar capers, drained *I usually use about 2 TBSP capers, roughly chopped --TC

1/2 cup (a couple of handfuls) golden raisins *I use anything but raisins: dried cherries, apricots, dried apple chunks, chopped sundried tomatoes, etc. --TC
1 medium firm eggplant, diced *I peel mine, that way I sneak it in on 'eggplant haters!' --TC
Salt
1 (32-ounce) can diced tomatoes *I use low-sodium, petite diced
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

**I use what I have on hand, so here are some of the other combinations I’ve used for the Caponata! See a few recipe variations below. --TC

*TC’s Recipe A: I used bell peppers (1), leeks (2 light green & white, cut into halfmoons and washed well!), shallots (2), capers (1 TBSP), garlic (2 cloves), olive oil, honey, salt, and red pepper flakes.
*TC’s Recipe B: I used bell peppers (2), Viadalia onion (1), capers (1 TBSP), garlic (4 cloves), medium eggplant, 28 oz can Petite Diced Tomatoes (1), 8 oz can Tomato Sauce (1), 4 oz water, olive oil, honey (4 TBSP), sea salt, and red pepper flakes.

Polenta:
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup quick-cook polenta, found in Italian foods or specialty foods aisles
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed and chopped finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmigiano
Salt and pepper
6 cups mixed greens
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Serving suggestion: Mixed greens tossed with fresh herbs, dressed with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper

Caponata: Place the cutting board near the stovetop. Preheat a big, deep pot over medium heat. Add oil, garlic, and crushed pepper. As you chop vegetables (peppers, onion, and celery), add them to the pot. Once vegetables are in there, increase heat a bit.

Stir in olives, capers, and raisins. Salt the diced eggplant and stir into the pot. Add tomatoes, diced and crushed, to the pot and stir caponata well to combine. Cover pot and cook caponata 15 to 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Stir in parsley and remove pan from heat.

Polenta: Bring 3 cups chicken broth to a boil. Add polenta and stir constantly until the cornmeal masses together. Stir in herbs, butter, cheese, salt, and pepper. *I found this to be a bit “thick,” so I added 2 TBSP heavy cream &/or 2 TBSP olive oil – lightly warmed. --TC (***also see 'Suggestion from TC' below...)

Spread polenta out over a serving platter. Make a shallow well from the center out and fill with half of the prepared caponata. This stands as a complete dinner on its own, so rich with vitamins and fresh vegetables. Refrigerate the remaining caponata for a later use.** Pour remaining polenta onto a buttered/oiled If you prepare a salad, keep it simple. Dress mixed greens with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Caponata can also be used as a bruschetta topping. –Courtesy of Rachel Ray, as seen on 30 Minute Meals - Food Network.

**How to make Crispy Pan-Fried Polenta from TC: Pour polenta onto a greased sheet pan with sides. Smooth out to a consistent 3/4 to 1" thickness. Dot with butter and cover with plastic wrap directly on top of polenta so a 'skin' will not form -- do not wrap around the sides of the pan yet. Let cool completely on the counter, then wrap tightly and place into the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, better if you can let it go overnight.

Preheat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Coat with a little non-stick spray.

Get a standard 'dredging station' ready (seasoned egg wash and seasoned flour - in two seperate dishes). Cut polenta into desired shape (squares or triangles seem to be easist!).

Put 2 TBSP oil and 1 TBSP butter into the pan. Meanwhile dip the cut polenta into the egg wash, let excess drip off; then dredge in the flour, shaking off excess. Gently place the polenta into the oil. Repeat with remaining polenta, but do not crowd the pan. Cook until golden brown on each side, remove to paper-towel lined drying rack to remove excess oil. Season with sea salt while HOT.

***Suggestions from TC: If you like a looser polenta (say like creamy, cheesy grits), I would start with 4 cups of broth when making your polenta. Once it cooks and the grains are no longer 'al dente' (meaning still a tad under-cookerd or 'to the tooth'), you are ready to serve it! Serve it with grilled shrimp, chicken, steak, or sausages -- cut the last three proteins into diagonal slices for a nice presentation! --The Traveling Culinarian.

KOREAN CRAVINGS

Once upon a time, I lived in Atlanta and worked in the wonderful world of insurance. (No sarcasm here!!) I used to LOVE taking brokers to the suburbs between Dunwoody and Chamblee on Peachtree Road (unlikely, a ‘Peachtree’ in Atlanta, I know!) to Hanwoori Korean Restaurant.

Every once in a while the cravings for Bulgogi (Korean Barbecued Beef – spellings vary), Gulgogi and Kim chi made with zucchini (or was it cucumbers?) come back strong. This week I created the following recipe to satisfy that craving!

Don’t feel guilty taking help!! I used sliced, pre-marinated BOOL KOLGI courtesy of Trader Joe’s refrigerated section. (Thanks for the tip DW of SF, CA!) It’s higher in sodium than I’d like, but this is not an ‘every month food.’

TASTE of KOREA FRIED RICE -- Serves 4

I wanted Bool Kolgi, but was not sure if our littlest one was going to care for the meat separately. To solve the problem, I made a Korean-style fried rice with Kim Chi inspired flavors!

Oil, as needed – I used about 1 TBSP Safflower oil
1 small sweet onion, diced or slivered
1 bell pepper, diced
5 ounces finely shredded cabbage, chopped -- I used ½ a (10 oz) bag Angel Hair Cole Slaw
1 to 2 tsp Geasoning or your favorite seasoing blend – Tony Charchrie’s would be nice here!
2 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane
2 tsp Gourmet Garden Lemongrass -- found in tubes in most refrigerated produce sections
1 tsp ground ginger -- I was out of fresh; if using fresh use 1 TBSP freshly grated ginger
1 TBSP jarred Chili Garlic Sauce -- I use Lee Kum Kee brand *increase if you’d like heat!
3 TBSP Lite Soy Sauce (has less sodium)
1 TBSP fish sauce, optional – this product stinks to high heavan, but adds graeat flavor to the end product!
2 tsp sugar, dissolve in the soy sauce prior to adding to rice
3 cups of HOT, cooked rice – I used wild rice blend from Raley's*
1 pkg (about 1.25 lbs) Trader Joe’s Bool Kogi cooked, trimmed of fat, and diced
6 oz. shelled & cooked edamame; if frozen, cook, shock** and drain (I used 1/2 bag of frozen Trader Joe’s Shelled Edamame Soybeans, save the other half for another recipe or for snacking! --TC)

toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Preheat a large frying pan coated with non-stick spray to medium-high. Cook the boolgi in batches – do not crowd the pan… 4 minutes a side or until nicely browned. Meat should be medium to medium rare with a nice sear – you will cook it again gently when stir-frying… Remove to a covered dish to keep warm. *Do NOT burn the sugars in the marinade or you will need to wash out your pan at this stage!

In the same pan, sauté the diced onion and bell peppers until soft and lightly browned. Add the fresh grated garlic, lemongrass and garlic red pepper sauce stirring for 1 minute. Add the chopped angel hair cabbage and cook 3 minutes longer or until it begins to soften. (This is where the Kim Chi flavor steps in!)

Meanwhile, reheat your pre-cooked rice for 2 minutes at 70% in a covered dish the microwave. Add rice to the pan with the sautéed aromatics and the soy/fish sauce mixture. Just before serving, gently fold in the diced boolgi and the pre-cooked edamame (shelled soy beans). Once warmed through, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately. (Sliced scallions would also be a nice garnish, but I was out of time!)

*Note: Make rice ahead of time in the microwave.
Using a Wild Rice Blend – place 4 cups broth/stock or mixed juice & broth with 2 tsp Geasoning (or Kosher salt or your favorite seasoning blend), plus 1 TBSP olive oil and 2 cups Wild Rice blend [Natural Foods Bulk Bin #717 from Raley’s/Bel Air Grocery Stores] in a covered 2 QT microwavable dish. Cook on HIGH 33 minutes and allow to sit undisturbed for an additional 25 minutes. Times may vary depending on the strength of your microwave. Place the cooked rice on a sheet pan to cool, then into an air-tight dish and store in the fridge up to a week if you are not going to use immediately. –TC at home, Spring 2010.

**Note: To ‘shock’ vegetables, cook until a minute or two before desired doneness, then drain and plunge into ice water for 2 minutes and drain well. Hold until ready to use. --TC

If you’d like to eat the Bool Goki as the entrée and have a nice side dish that is nutritious (soybeans) and has a kick, try the following recipe as an accompaniment. –TC at home, Spring 2010.

EDAMAME SALAD Serves 8 as a side; Prep Time: 20 minutes

We love the way this salad's clean, fresh flavors brighten up the winter dinner table.

Notes: Because sesame oil can go rancid quickly, store it in the refrigerator. Asian chili garlic sauce is available in the Asian-food section of most supermarkets.

2 tablespoons sesame oil (see Notes)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon Asian chili garlic sauce (see Notes)
1 pound shelled edamame, cooked and cooled
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 cup sliced almonds *I toast these for more “crunch!” --TC

In a small bowl, whisk together sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and chili sauce. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine edamame, green onions, mint, and almonds. Toss with dressing to coat.

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 113(60% from fat); FAT 7.6g (sat 0.6g); PROTEIN 6.6g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; SODIUM 93mg; FIBER 3.2g; CARBOHYDRATE 6.2g --Courtesy of Roxanne Chan, Albany, CA - Sunset, JANUARY 2008.

KID’s KOREAN STIR-FRY -- Serves 1 kid as an entrée with one or two sides

Unsure if our little one would like the garlic and extra spice of my newly created Korean Fried Rice, I came up with this recipe on the fly so that she thought she was eating the “same dish as everyone else!”

1 tsp Lite Soy Sauce
a few drops of fish sauce, optional
a pinch of ground ginger
a pinch of sugar
1 tsp oil – I used safflower
1 medium carrot, cleaned & grated
1 oz. shredded cabbage, finely chopped (a small handful)
1 cup HOT Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice – remove seal & heat for 1 minute in microwave
¼ cup edamame, cooked
¼ cup Bool Kolgi cooked & finely diced
toasted sesame seeds, optional

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
While heating rice in the microwave, place a small sauté pan, over medium-high heat and add oil. Once oil is hot (it wil shimmer,) add the shredded carrot and cabbage, sauté 1 minute. Add the soy sauce mixture and the HOT brown rice; stir gently until rice is coated evenly with the sauce mixture. Add the edamame and the diced meat. Sauté 2 minutes more until heated through. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately. –TC at home, Spring 2010.

HELPFUL WEBSITES:

Minute Rice (individual servings of pre-cooked brown rice, etc.)
http://www.minuterice.com/en-us/products/94/MINUTEReadytoServeBrownRice.aspx

Trader Joe’s http://www.traderjoes.com/index.asp

Elephant Tea and me!

This weekend was extra special! It was my birthday AND my 1st Mother's Day!!
Saturday I had the kids solo -- as hubby was judging a BBQ Competition in Morgan Hill, CA.

The kids and I had a nice breakfast of satisfying oatmeal with blueberries and toasted almonds, juice and milk. There was an envelope with our little guy’s name on it at his spot at the table. He asked if he could take me (and his sister) to lunch – his treat! After some playtime we went to get the little man a haircut and came home so he could change into his tee ball uniform. We went to lunch and had a great time. He was so proud to order and pay the gal at the counter! The tee ball game was fun to watch from the shade of a tree – the breeze was blowing and the kids showed good improvement of their skills. After naptime we had leftovers for dinner – a variety of noodles and salads. Hubby had a bowl of cereal… his “meat stomach” was full up!
My 1st Mother’s Day and birthday was wonderful!! My son and husband made all of our meals on Sunday....

Breakfast consisted of: scrambled cheese eggs with "sautéed topper" (a mix of crimini mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and scallions for garnish), crispy turkey bacon, huge fresh blackberries, and Elephant Tea!

After a couple of miles walking on the American River Parkway (one of the most fabulous amentias in the Sacramento area!!) we enjoyed a picnic lunch. We had ham and cheese sandwiches with quick slaw (coleslaw), wild rice salad, pretzels and dried fruit crisps! As a special celebration beverage, we had Trader Joe’s Blood Orange Sparkling Juice.

The gentlemen prepared dinner while the ladies took a walk around the neighborhood, stopping in to visit at 3 houses. We returned from our walk to a lovely smelling dinner on the table – Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Yams and Brussel Sprouts. And what is that delicious smell coming from the oven?? A gingerbread cake!! WOW! Life is good!

SATISFYING OATMEAL -- Serves 2 to 3

2 cups milk - I use rice drink to be kind to my little one's belly
pinch of salt – I use Kosher or sea salt
2 heaping TBSP dark brown sugar (light or golden brown sugar will do)
1 cup old-fashioned oats
a few scratches of nutmeg or a very small pinch of ground nutmeg, optional
1 TBSP butter, optional (I never add this and frankly I don’t miss it)
½ cup dried or fresh fruit, optional
¼ to ½ cup toasted nuts, optional

In a large saucepan, bring milk, salt and brown sugar to a boil – do NOT walk away; it has a tendency to boil over. Once liquid is at a boil, add oats. Stir gently for one minute, then as it comes back to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Allow to simmer approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until tender.

*Note: If using quick-cooking oats, the oatmeal will cook more quickly. If using 5-grain hot cereal blend, increase the liquid by ½ cup. Sometimes I substitute juice for a portion of the milk and then don’t put in the brown sugar. –TC at home September 2009.


ELEPHANT TEA -- Serves 3 to 4

I created this tea so that we could share it with the kids and we’d all be happy with the beverage! ;) I brew and serve my tea in a ‘Brown Betty’ teapot with a handmade wool elephant cozy cover, complete with button eyes. The teapot and cover are cherished gifts from my Aunt Ellen – so loved for the whimsy and because it keeps my tea nice and hot!

1 cup juice, heated until HOT (in microwave or stove top) (apple, cranberry or white grape seem to work best!)
2 cup just boiling water
2 fruit-flavored green tea bags – I use Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Gardens Green Tea

Preheat your teapot with near boiling water at least 5 minutes. Discard ‘warming water.’
Immediately add HOT juice, boiling water and tea bags; place lid on teapot and steep 4 minutes. Remove tea bags and serve.
Be sure to warn little ones that the tea is HOT! --TC at home May 2010.


QUICK SLAW -- Serves 3 to 4

Hubby and I initially created this to go on fish tacos! It’s also great with BBQ pork, on sandwiches and as a side dish!

1 (10 oz) bag angel hair cole slaw (fine shred cabbage)
3 to 6 TBSP Thousand Island Dressing - we use Ken’s Steak House Brand
Geasoning or salt and pepper, to taste

In a large bowl toss cabbage and 3 TBSP dressing until cabbage is well-coated. Season and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes prior to eating or cover and refrigerate about 4 hours. If you like your slaw crunchy like we do, you won’t refrigerate it for more than 3 hours! --TC at home Summer 2008.

Websites of interest:

Morgan Hill NO BULL BBQ Competition -- http://www.mhnobullbbq.com/

American River Parkway – Sacramento to Folsom, CA -- “The ARPF cares for the 23 miles, and about 5,000 acres of the American River's foreshore between the Nimbus Fish Hatchery and the confluence with the Sacramento River. “
http://www.arpf.org/index.shtml
ARP map (page 2): http://www.arparkway.org/pdf_files/ARPmap.pdf