More Recipes From Around the Web...Mark Bittman's Savory Polenta Pizza & Other Easy Polenta Recipes

By Kathleen Daelemans

(Except the parts that are written by Mark Bittman for the New York Times. And the photograph. I didn't take that either. The very gifted Francesco Tonelli took the shot probably right before he sat down to one of the best meals of his life; Mark Bittman's Savory Polenta Pizza.

I've been a Bittman Fan ever since...well ever since I can remember. I think I own every single one of his books. And have given out more copies as gifts than any single person in America. Except possibly my Mom. And probably his Mom too.

How to Cook Everything is the Joy of Cooking of our time and a must have cookbook in every home with a stove. A copy of How to Cook Everything is private culinary school for the price of a lamb chop. It's that good. And it's that necessary to have. The lessons are invaluable.

You won't be throwing this cookbook against the wall in the midst of preparing a recipe that "sounded really great" only to find out  cook times have been ommitted or ingredients in the list somehow don't make it into the instructions. In an age where many cookbook authors hire ghost recipe testers, Bittman clearly doesn't. Every single recipe turns out, every single time.

Especially in these most uncertain times, cooking at home and sharing meals around the table with family and friends has never been more important than right now. There is nothing that will propel you faster towards the life of happiness and prosperity you deserve, than a healthy body and a healthy mind. You owe it to yourself. And you owe it to your children.

Food hangovers, waking up feeling full of guilt and shame because the food you're eating is too rich and too caloric is no way to live. With an open mind and a well written cookbook or two1, it really is possible to get deeply satisfying meals on the table quicker than your kids can finish their homework.

 Especially if you read the recipes through before you attempt them, say the night before, you just might reconnect with the joyful feelings that come with preparing restorative meals for those you love. 

I chose Mark Bittman's Recipe for Savory Polenta Pizza as one to highlight for several reasons. Polenta (cornmeal) is extremely inexpensive (unless you go looking for the fancy Italian brands) and it's just something you should know how to make. Polenta can be served warm, grits style, with butter and Parmesan, or with a meat or mushroom sugo ( long cooked Italian sauces).

   For a super decadent, once-in-a-while, very rich polenta supper, serve it creamy with a little butter stirred in and then topped with Judy Rodger's Tuscan Liver Sauce (recipe below). I made it many times during my tutelidge under Chef Judy Rodgers in her San Francisco restaurant, Zuni Cafe. The sauce is one of my all time favorites and is absolutely wonderful served on grilled bread, cut into toast points (small triangles) as an appetizer too. Read the full article by Florence Fabricant for the New York Times, THE CHEF: JUDY RODGERS; A Humble Ticket to a Tuscan Treat

Leftover warm polenta can be spread out on a cookie sheet to "harden" in the regrigerator overnight transforming it into what is known as "hard" polenta (for it's firm texture). Hard polenta can be served "pizza style" as in Bittman's Recipe (below), or it can be but into small toast size traingles and pan "fried" to golden brown using butter (or even grilled) and then served with eggs. Cut into crouton size cubes, hard polenta is wonderful in salads. 

For a wonderful article on the the joys of Sugo, check out San Francisco Gate's, Seduced by Sugo, Long-Cooked Italian Sauces Captivate Chefs and Diners, by Tara Duggan, Chronicle Staff Writer. Photograph by Craig Lee for the Chronicle. 

 

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A Burning Issue – This Versatile Polenta Cooks in the Oven
by Kathleen Daelemans

Full Article

Creamy Baked Polenta
by Kathleen Daelemans

To prepare, preheat oven to 350  degrees. Pour 1 quart of water into a 1 1/2 quart, nonreactive baking dish. Add 1 cup coarse polenta, salt and cracked black pepper to taste and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter. Place dish on center oven rack and bake uncovered 40-50 minutes, stirring at the halfway point. Polenta is done when practically all the liquid has been absorbed. Taste it. If it's creamy and good, it's done. If it's granular and little unpleasant, let it cook a little longer. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Polenta can be served simply with butter or cheese, but to create a heartier meal, you can top it with just about any pasta topping. I'm quite sure this meat sauce will please any meat eater, including your husband. I've served it over plates of steaming pasta, spooned it over grilled eggplant and layered it into lasagna. I nearly always make this recipe in double batches because it freezes so nicely.

Meat Sauce for Warm Polenta and Pasta Noodles

By Kathleen Daelemans

In a 3-quart or similar size saucepan, heat
1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-low
heat. Add 1 peeled, cored and finely diced
onion, 1 peeled and finely diced carrot,
1 finely diced celery stalk and 1/2 pound of
finely diced porcini or button mushrooms
and cook until softened,
about fifteen minutes.

 Add 3/4 pound lean ground beef or a mixture of beef, veal and pork, and using a long-handled spoon, break up the meat and cook, stirring often,
 6 to 8 minutes (you'll still see pink).

Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and 1/2 cup good quality red wine, beef stock or chicken stock. Add 1 28-ounce can peeled and chopped plum tomatoes and their juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 25 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped herbs such as parsley,
basil, oregano and or sage in any combination you like.
Cook 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.

Meat sauce tips and shortcuts by Kathleen Daelemans

Prep the veggies the night before.Throw veggies in a minichopper (separately) instead of mincing them perfectly by hand.

To avoid tomato paste waste, scrape tomato paste from its can, place it in a small freezer bag, squish into a log and freeze it so you can cut off the small amounts recipes call for without wasting the whole can, which can mold pretty quickly in the refrigerator.

Make a double batch. It freezes quite well.

It's delicious served over pasta or broiled leftover hard polenta with or without a poached egg.

If you can't get your hands on fresh porcini mushrooms, use 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms. Place them in a small bowl with hot water from the tap for 30 minutes. Remove them from the liquid, rinse them, squeeze and discard excess liquid and finely chop. Strain the mushroom soaking water through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth and use it in the sauce.

Mark Bittman's Polenta ‘Pizza’ With Pancetta and Spinach for the New York Times

The Full Article: Your Morning Pizza, Mark Bittman for The New York Times

Time: About 45 minutes, plus one hour’s chilling

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for pan

1/2 cup milk, preferably whole

Salt

1 cup coarse cornmeal

Freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) chopped pancetta

1 pound spinach, washed, trimmed and dried

1 to 1 1/2 cups Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled.

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees; brush a layer of olive oil on a pizza pan or cookie sheet. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milk with 2 1/2 cups water and a large pinch of salt. Bring just about to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and add cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking all the while to prevent lumps from forming. Turn heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently, until thick, 10 or 15 minutes. If mixture becomes too thick, whisk in a bit more water; you want a consistency approaching thick oatmeal.

2. Stir 1 tablespoon oil into cooked cornmeal (polenta). Spoon it onto prepared pan, working quickly so polenta does not stiffen; spread it evenly to a thickness of about 1/2 inch all over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and put it in refrigerator until it is firm, an hour or more (you can refrigerate polenta overnight if you prefer).

3. Put polenta in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it begins to brown and crisp on edges. Meanwhile, put two tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and pancetta is nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to take onion and pancetta out of pan; set aside. Add spinach to skillet and sauté until it releases its water and pan becomes dry; sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper.

4. Take polenta out of oven, sprinkle with Gorgonzola, then spread onion-pancetta mixture and spinach evenly on top of cheese; drizzle with another tablespoon olive oil. Put pizza back in oven for two minutes, or until cheese begins to melt and pancetta and vegetables are warmed through. Cut into slices and serve hot or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 servings.

Variation: Before you put polenta in oven, top it with thin slices of fresh mozzarella, two or three thinly sliced Roma tomatoes or a bit of tomato sauce, and a handful of fresh basil leaves.

 

Judy Rodger's Tuscan Liver Sauce

Click for the full 

Article from the New York Times

Peruse the Zuni Cafe Cookbook by (my culinary mentor) Judy Rodgers

Time: 1 hour

8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, approximately

3 ounces pancetta, minced

1/3 cup slivered shallots

6 to 8 fresh sage leaves, torn

6 ounces chicken livers, picked over and finely chopped

2 tablespoons capers, preferably salt-packed, rinsed, pressed dry on paper towels and coarsely chopped

2 to 3 salt-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed and chopped (optional)

1/2 cup red wine, approximately

Freshly cracked black pepper

Salt to taste

1 bay leaf, lightly bruised

Grilled or toasted baguette (not sourdough), soft or grilled polenta, boiled pappardelle or mashed potatoes.

1. Heat one tablespoon oil in a large skillet. Add pancetta, and cook, stirring, until it just begins to brown. Reduce heat to low, add another tablespoon of oil, and stir in shallots and sage. Cook for about a minute, until shallots have softened.

2. Add livers, capers and optional anchovies. Stir, adding 3 to 5 more tablespoons oil. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until livers are putty-colored but have not become stiff. Stir in most of the wine.

3. Bring to a simmer, and season generously with pepper. Add salt if needed. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, until some of the liquid has cooked down and mixture is thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon but is not dry. Remove from heat, add bay leaf, and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Briefly reheat mixture, adjusting oil, wine and seasonings to taste. Remove bay leaf, and serve spooned over toast or on polenta, pappardelle or mashed potatoes.

Yield: 4 servings.

Judy Rodgers is the chef and an owner of Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. Online, at nytimes.com/dining, she narrates a video presentation of her recipes.

Marcella Hazan's Bolognese

Peruse Every Night Italian 

Liz Bills of Nopa restaurant in San Francisco adapted a classic recipe from cookbook author Marcella Hazan for this dish. It becomes more like a 5- or 6-hour bolognese if made in this smaller batch. You may substitute pork and/or lamb, or a mix, and a mix of cooked and uncooked meat. If you can, marinate the meat with salt overnight and eat it the day after it is made. Serve over bowls of creamy polenta or toss into pasta of your choice.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound uncooked or cooked beef, pork or lamb, or a mix, ground or finely chopped (see note)

1 tablespoon kosher salt + more to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup yellow chopped onion, in small dice

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup chopped carrots, in small dice

1 cup chopped celery, in small dice

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

2 cups chopped canned tomatoes with juice

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS:

Instructions: Rub the salt into the ground or chopped meat, preferably 24 hours ahead of time.

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat, add the oil and butter. When the butter melts, add the onion and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until onion has lost its crunch and become sweet, 8-10 minutes. Add carrots, celery, another pinch of salt, and cook until they, too, have lost their crunch, another 8-10 minutes.

If you are using raw meat, add it first and cook until all the pink is gone. If you are using cooked meat, cook until it is completely coated with the vegetable base and has cooked out any of its pinkness, as well. If using both raw and cooked meat, cook raw meat first, until it is the same doneness as the cooked meat, then add the cooked meat. Make sure you break up any big clumps of meat.

Add milk. This will look like a lot of liquid, but it will all cook off over time. Reduce heat to low and stir frequently to prevent burning. Simmer until all liquid has evaporated, about 1-1 1/2 hours, stirring every 10 minutes. Add nutmeg, if using.

Add wine and simmer as you did the milk, until it evaporates, another 1-1 1/2 hours, stirring about every 10 minutes.

Carefully add tomatoes, stirring them into the sauce. Reduce heat as low as it will go, and cook for 3 hours. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.

Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve over pasta or creamy polenta and top with Parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Note: To use up bits of cooked meat, it's best to chop it rather than grinding it.

Per serving: 270 calories, 13 g protein, g 10 carbohydrate, 16 g fat (8 g saturated), 62 mg cholesterol, 1,078 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen

200 Easy Recipes

For Healthy Weight Loss

by Kathleen Daelemans

Cooking Thin isn't a bestseller because people don't love it, you know. I worked very hard on that book. Especially because it was my very first book, I was (and will always remain) very driven to earn your trust and respect by providing you with very well written, quick and easy recipes comprised of easily accessible and affordable ingredients. The recipes are written in culinary short hand (think speedy weeknight suppers) with extra tips for morphing them into showy meals for easy entertaining with little or no fuss.