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.