Sweet Pea, Goat Cheese, and Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta Napoleons

Sweet Pea, Goat Cheese, and Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta Napoleons
with French Green Beans and Fresh Oregano Flowers

OK this sounds over the top and believe me it tastes that way, but it’s insanely easy to make. We have a great garden growing right now with French Beans, Squash Blossoms, Chives, Nasturtiums, and Oregano Flowers. Find fresh chives and oregano in the produce department. And the rest of the fancy stuff is up to you.

4 servings
1 1/2 tubes of pre-prepared Polenta (usually 16-18 ounces) cut into 1/4 inch slices
4-8 ounces creamy goat cheese (it depends how much cheese you want)
1 large Vidalia onion sliced
4 large garlic cloves diced
4 cups frozen peas
2 cups milk (or cream depending on how naughty you want to be)
Fresh Oregano and Chives

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil (olive oil) a sheet pan and place the polenta discs in a single layer. Brush tops with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake at least 15-20 minutes until warm and yummy. At the last minute turn the broiler on high to lightly crisp the tops.

2. Meanwhile, put the goat cheese in the freezer for 15 minutes. This hardens soft cheeses enough to make slicing them easier. Slice into thin discs and reserve.

3. Meanwhile, saute the onions and garlic in 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat until cooked down. Add the peas and the milk. Season generously with salt and pepper. Allow to simmer a few minutes until the peas are cooked through. Puree in a blender until smooth. Taste for seasoning.

4. Now arrange. 2-3 stacks per person will work for an entree. Stack polenta, then goat cheese, then a dollop of pea puree. Repeat until it looks like the picture above. Garnish with chives and oregano.


* Summer Bean cooking is easy. For 4 people trim ends off 1 pound of beans. Dump in a pot of salted boiling water for 3-5 minutes until just cooked. Strain and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and tiny squeeze of lemon juice.

* To make this dish go further and to add some meat to dish for nights you don’t want something so light, I suggest a simple roasted chicken breast. Simply, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the whole chicken breast (skin-on, bone-in) on a pan and rub with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. You can stuff some of those fresh oregano leaves under the skin for more flavor. Roast for 40 minutes or until cooked through. It’s as easy as that and it looks and tastes like it took forever and cost a fortune.

July 4th Hot Dog Bar

July 4th, 2009
Hot Dog Bar

Chicago Dog
Tomatoes, Onions, Pickles, Celery Salt, Hot Peppers, Relish

New Mexico Dog
Roasted Hatch Chiles & Jack Cheese

Caprese Dog
Basil, Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Olive Oil

Coney Island Dog
Chili, Onions, Mustard

Arabian Dog
Baba Ghanoush and Cilantro

Southern California Dog
Heirloom Tomatoes, Roasted Beets, Balsamic

Charleston Dog
Fried Green Tomatoes, Garlic Shrimp
Pickled Green Beans


Sides
Baba Ghanoush & Pico De Gallo
Homemade Pickles
Fried Green Tomatoes
Pink Eyed Peas, Butternut Squash, & Okra Succotash


Dessert
Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Homemade Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles

July 4th has always been a special time for my family. It started out as my grandfather's birthday. So we would always have a big grilling out pool party with hot dogs, chili, watermelon (just for us since my grandmother hates it), and of course fireworks. Well, the day has grown even more special since by only nephew, Ayden, was born on the 6th... joined by my husband. So it's a big day of presents and food. This year I was inspired by a Bon Appetit article to create a little mini hot dog bar where people could assemble their own special dogs. HINT: Cut your hot dog in half so you can try twice as many options. Also, we used chicken hot dogs, which may sound like sacrilege to some of you, but they really worked well with the different flavors. All the produce for the bar was from our garden and had extreme flavor. The biggest hits were the Caprese and the Charleston Dog, beating out my husband's favorite, the Chicago Dog. Below you'll find the recipes for the baba ghanoush, pickled green beans, and the ridiculously good (but extremely cheap and easy) cupcakes.

Baba Ghanoush
makes about 2 cups

2 pounds baby eggplants quartered
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp peanut butter (or tahini if you've got it)
1/2 tsp cumin powder
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup cilantro

1. Toss the eggplants in olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees until soft about 35 minutes.

2. Toss the eggplant, peanut butter, cumin, lemon juice, and cilantro into a food processor (or blender) and blend. Slowly pour in olive oil while pulsing until it's very smooth.

That's it! Serve with pita or on your Arabian Hot Dog.


Pickled Green Beans

4 cups green beans (stems trimmed off)
6 cups water
1/2 cup salt
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup white wine/champagne vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
5 cloves garlic
3 sprigs fresh dill
2 tbsp whole peppercorns

1. Blanch green beans for about a minute and a half. Strain and immediately put into ice water to stop the cooking and to set the color.

2. Meanwhile combine all the other ingredients (except the dill) and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.

3. Fill sterilized jars with green beans and fresh dill and then pour the brine to the top. Be sure to get some garlic and peppercorns in each jar. Let sit at least overnight. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing
makes 12 cupcakes

I don't normally take such shortcuts (or listen to Paula Deen for that matter) but with a newborn and limited time I thought I'd try this cupcake idea from her and man were they yummy. The icing is a delicious take on a buttercream from the most amazing Ina Garten. The peanut butter was for my grandfather (who is a peanut butter junkie) and the chocolate for my nephew (who eats at least 60% dark chocolate already at the age of 5).

Cupcake
1 (18 1/2 ounces) chewy brownie mix (Duncan Hines or Ghiradelli makes a good one)
1 12 ounce package peanut butter chips

1. Make the mix according to the box instructions for cake-like brownies (usually an extra egg).

2. Fill muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill each cup half full with brownie mix and then 1 tablespoon of peanut butter chips in the middle. Bake until just set. Cool and ice with peanut butter frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tbsp butter (room temperature)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

1. Put sugar, peanut butter, vanilla, butter, and vanilla in bowl and mix on medium speed until creamy. Add cream and beat on high until the mix is light and smooth.

Tip: If you don't have a frosting bag, put frosting in a plastic baggie and snip the corner.

Chicken & Lemongrass Soup (and other Lemongrass Sundries)

I was inspired to make a few dishes that incorporate the lovely plant lemongrass. What I came up with was a tea, sorbet, and soup. All delightfully delicate and tasting of spring. Most of the recipes I found had you leaving the chopped lemongrass in the dish. But I found that the lemongrass did not cook down to be soft, but rather stayed kind of crunchy. It wasn’t bad... but I didn’t prefer it. So my soup recipe has you straining out the lemongrass once boiled.

Chicken & Lemongrass Soup with Coconut Milk
serves 4

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast cubed
1 tbsp butter
1 14 ounce can of coconut milk (This brings a nice taste to the soup and adds good fats into the mix. But feel free to use all stock if you don’t like coconut.)
3 cups organic chicken stock (you can use veggie if you’d like)
2 fresh stalks of lemongrass rough outer leaves removed and chopped
3 tbsp fresh ginger minced
3 tbsp fresh garlic minced
1/2 medium onion diced
1 large stalk of celery diced
1 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
zest of 1 lemon

1. Combine stock, coconut milk, half the cilantro, and lemongrass in a pot. Bring to a simmer for 20 minutes to infuse the flavor. Strain and reserve liquid.

2. Meanwhile add the butter and 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to a medium pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, onion, celery, lemon zest, and sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Saute for 6-7 minutes until they start to soften. Add the chicken and brown for about 10 minutes.

3. Pour the stock over the chicken mixture and bring to a simmer for another 10 minutes to infuse the flavors and cook the chicken. Taste for seasoning. Serve with fresh cilantro on top.

Tip: You can add rice to this soup or pasta if you’d like. We tried both basmati and angel hair pasta and it was very good and made it a little bulkier.


Coconut Lemongrass Sorbet
serves 4

1 14 ounce can coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup organic raw cane sugar (you can add a little more if like it really sweet)
2 tbsp fresh ginger minced
1 cup of lemongrass rough outer leaves removed and chopped

1. Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Let simmer for 25 minutes to infuse flavors. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

2. Pour mix into your ice cream maker and follow instructions for “sorbet”. Or pour into a glass casserole dish and put in the freezer. Every 30 minutes rake through the mix with a fork until consistency desired. This won’t make a smooth sorbet but you’ll have the flavor. (Go get an ice cream maker! They’re cheap and awesome!)

Lemongrass Tea
1 serving

1 tbsp lemongrass rough outer leaves removed and chopped

1. Add lemongrass to a cup of boiling water, cover, and let steep 10 minutes. Strain and sweeten if you want and a little milk you’d like (coconut milk is nice with it and very creamy).

Summer Tomato Tart with Thyme

This tart is exceptionally easy to make and can be varied depending on what you have on hand. For example my mom recently substituted artichoke hearts for the olive tapenade and said it was delicious. This tart makes easy work of getting through all those tomatoes you're growing or for a quick dish for company, as it just was for my mother-in-law Teri and her friend Deborah.

If you are like me and the last time you ate okra was when you were a kid and it was slimy and stringy and your whole adult life you’ve truly believed you hate it... please, oh please try it again. Pan frying it on the cut side gives it some crunch without deep-frying. These dishes make a full dinner for 2 or can be a dinner for 4 with a big salad and maybe some nice bread. The tart is great for brunch and at room temperature also.

Summer Tomato Tart with Thyme
serves 2 well or 4 as a side

1 pie shell thawed
1 1/2 pints cherry tomatoes or 3 cups (use the ripest tomatoes available to you*)
1 medium-large Vidalia onion sliced into long strips
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
3-4 tbsp olive tapenade (this is like an olive pesto and has a distinct flavor and I love it but you can use a fresh pesto if you feel frisky and have some on hand)
3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves pulled from their stems
parmesan for shaving

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you have tart pan with a removable bottom, simply press the dough in because it’s very pretty. If you don’t, just bake it in the pan it came in. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until cooked to a light golden brown (this is the only time it will cook so make sure it’s nice and golden). Spread the olive tapenade or pesto onto the inside of the crust.

2. Meanwhile, add your onions and 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat and sauté until nicely golden, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme at the end and sauté for another minute. Reserve. Add the tomatoes to the same pan and sauté until they start to pop and release some of their juice, about 5 minutes. Stir the onion mixture into the tomatoes. Season with fresh ground black pepper. Be careful with your salt. If the tapenade is salty, that’s all you’ll need.

3. Dump all the goodness of the pan into the pie/tart and place under the broiler until it starts to bubble and char slightly (see the picture above). Remove and top with shavings of parmesan (use a vegetable peeler for nice big shavings). enjoy!


Pan Fried Okra with Garlic

4 whole okra per person split down the middle lengthwise
3 tbsp finely minced garlic

1. Heat your pan over medium-high heat with 3 tablespoons of olive oil until it gets really hot and starts to smoke slightly . No teflon please- go get yourself a nice cast iron skillet. Thanks to David (perhaps my biggest culinary supporter*) for the beautifully seasoned pan you see in the picture.

2. Place okra in the pan cut side down and just leave them alone for at least 5 minutes. Check to see if they’re browning nicely. You want a great little crust. When you see this, add the garlic and flip and toss for another 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy.

Horchata

This is absolutely the best thing that has happened to me since... McCrady's General Tso's Sweetbreads. Horchata. It’s a beautiful rice drink flavored subtly with a hint of almond-vanilla goodness and a trace of cinnamon. It is delightful. I want to scream it from the rooftops! Here is the recipe on how to make your own or see below to find out where to get it already-made. Feliz Potable!

Horchata
serves 8 (or makes about 2 quarts that keep 1 week in the fridge)

8 tablespoons white rice
1 1/4 cups blanched almonds
3/4 tsp cinnamon (and sticks for garnish)
3 2-inch strips of lime zest (colored rind only)
3/4 cup organic sugar (to taste)
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract (not flavoring!)

1. Place the rice in a blender or spice/coffee grinder and pulverize until quite fine. Add the rice, almonds, cinnamon, and lime zest to a large bowl or pitcher. Add 3 cups of hot water, cover, and let stand overnight (at least 6 hours).

2. Pour into a blender and blend until it no longer is gritty and becomes as smooth as it will get. Add 2 cups of cold water and blend again.

3. Pour the mixture through a sieve lined with 3 layers of cheesecloth into a large bowl. Do this a little at a time and gently stir to help the liquid pass through. The slower you do this, the smoother it will be.

4. Add 2-3 more cups of water to the liquid and stir in the sugar and vanilla to taste. You can add more water if you’d like it to be more liquidy. Refrigerate to chill and serve with a dash of cinnamon on top.


* Or you can look for already-made Horchata from Rice Dream and it is oh, so yummy! I’ve been pouring it over my Kashi cereal in the morning, mixing it into my Guayaki lattes in the afternoon, and I’m considering making a sorbet out of it for a light and healthy nighttime desert!