Blog - Proud Italian Cook

Creamy Polenta With Summer Garden Veggies

July 10, 2020 by Marie 3 Comments

Since I started this blog way back in 2007 ( next month will be 13 years!) I have posted many different polenta recipes, needless to say we adore polenta in our house.

If you do a search here on my blog you’ll find polenta muffins, polenta biscotti, a polenta tart, croutons, grilled polenta and many different ways to serve it with meat, eggs and various vegetables that are highlighted during the seasons.

Today I made a creamy polenta that showcases all the summer garden veggies like corn and zucchini that are readily available right now. It’s a fun and very delicious way to highlight both.

I use instant polenta which takes no time at all to cook up, and if you prep a few of the other ingredients ahead of time, this comes together quickly.

I roasted a pint of cherry tomatoes the other day and I had some grilled corn leftover from the weekend so I added zucchini and yellow squash and picked some fresh basil from my garden. Just a few ingredients makes such a spectacular meal, but this can also serve as a side dish with something you cook up on the grill.

I also like to serve this up alongside grilled shrimp, it’s such a nice combo!

So all you have to do is whisk up some creamy polenta, top it off with julienned strips of zucchini, smokey charred corn along with sweet, juicy roasted cherry tomatoes. Polenta tends to firm up after it sits for a while so if you have leftovers no problem, cut it into wedges and serve it like a pizza!

A summertime dish you won’t forget!

Creamy Polenta With Summer Garden Veggies

Author: Marie

Ingredients

2 ears of grilled corn with planks cut off the cob, make some planks along with the kernals
1 small zucchini, julienned
1 small yellow squash, julienned
a squeeze of fresh lemon
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, rainbow colored
2 green onions, sliced
fresh basil
olive oil
FOR THE POLENTA
1 cup of instant polenta
3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth preferably, or water
½ cup parmigiano cheese
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons of chopped basil
additional ¼ cup or so of water to thin it out a bit if needed at the end

Instructions

Prep your tomatoes by placing them whole on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle generously with olive oil all over and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if made the day before just warm them up a bit the day of.
Roast at 400 until they burst and all the juices mingle with the oil.
Grill both ears of corn cutting the kernels off the cob and making some into planks, it looks nice when placed on top of the polenta.
Julienne both zucchini and yellow squash then place into a bowl and add a squeeze of lemon and a little olive oil just to wilt them down a bit.
MAKE THE POLENTA
In a medium saucepan add the broth or water, get it to a boil and whisk in the polenta, now turn the heat down and let it cook til it thickens, it doesn’t take long.
Shut off the heat and stir in the butter, chopped basil and parmigiano, taste for seasoning adding salt and pepper, maybbe more cheese.
When polenta is finished pour it into your serving dish and "decorate" the top to your liking with all the ingredients including the green onion and extra sprinkle of basil and cheese for finishing. You'll probably have some leftover ingredients, especially the roasted tomatoes.Be sure to spoon some of the tomato oil on too.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

3 Comments Filed Under: Grains, Side Dishes, Summer Tagged: grilled corn, polenta, roasted tomatoes, summer veggies

Spice Encrusted Chicken Thighs With White Peaches

June 26, 2020 by Marie 2 Comments

This is a quick summer dish to make when you see peaches starting to appear in the markets. Crispy, spice encrusted chicken thighs balanced with the sweetness of peaches creates such a wonderful flavor combination, and it’s made all in one pan!

I like using bone in, skin on chicken thighs, they stay nice and juicy even if you overcook them a little bit. But if you’re not a fan of thighs you can make it with chicken breasts, but again I would only recommend bone in and skin on, it really makes a difference in flavor.

I was lucky enough to come across these beautiful white peaches the other day. White peaches have a creamy white flesh and taste just as sweet when they’re firm and crunchy as well as tree ripened.

Open up your spice cabinet and pull out some of your dried spices because that is what you use primarily for this dish, with a little fresh basil for garnish.

I usually make beer can chicken during the summer out on the grill, I make it a couple of different ways but my family likes it when it’s all spiced up the best.

By spiced up I mean a blend of different dry spices rubbed all over a whole chicken, it’s delicious because the spices create a smoky, savory crust but it can get very messy while prepping it because you’re rubbing the spice mixture all over a propped up ( on a beer can) and vertical whole chicken.

In this version you’re using the same spice mix and placing it on top of the skin of the thighs, which results in that same crispy, smoky, savory crust and it takes about a half an hour or so to cook in your oven!

So grab some peaches when you see them, and of course you can sub in the classic yellow peach or even some sweet nectarines if you want, but if you do happen to come across some white peaches I hope you give them a try.

Sweet and spicy is always such a perfect combination!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Spice Encrusted Chicken Thighs With White Peaches

Author: Marie

Ingredients

6 bone in skin on chicken thighs
5 peaches, pit removed cut into quarters
SPICE MIX
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon each of oregano and thyme
½ teaspoon each of granulated garlic, onion and salt
¼ teaspoons fresh black pepper
fresh basil for garnish
olive oil

Instructions

Heat oven to 450 F.
Mix up your spice blend in a small bowl and have it ready to go.
Drizzle the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil.
Place thighs in pan, skin side up and brush top with olive oil.
Spoon the spice mix on top of each thigh covering the skin completely and using all the mix.
Do a quick drizzle on top of each thigh.
If you can, let it sit for 15 minutes or so to permeate the meat.
Place pan into the oven and roast for 15 minutes then take out pan and place the cut peaches all around, then back into the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes or until temp insides reaches 165 to 170.
The crispier the better, so a few minutes more won't hurt it at all, if using thighs.
Let it rest for 10 minutes then garnish with a generous amount of fresh basil.
Enjoy!

2 Comments Filed Under: Fruit, Poultry Tagged: chicken and peaches, chicken thighs, peaches, spice encrusted, white peaches

How To Grill An Herb Stuffed Pork Loin

June 16, 2020 by Marie 3 Comments

Grilling season is in full force and Father’s Day is just around the corner and so you might be thinking of something special to make, may I suggest grilling a pork loin. A pork loin is excellent to make on the grill if you’re having a small or large group, you can feed a crowd with a pork roast being the main course and then just have some wonderful side dishes to serve along side it.

A pork loin has a much richer flavor because of the marbling throughout, as opposed to a very lean pork tenderloin.

A grilled pork loin that’s smothered with fresh herbs inside and out is easier than you think to make, plus it can be stuffed, rolled and tied a day ahead or hours before which makes for a stress free day of entertaining.

Ask your butcher what size roast you should get according to the amount of people that you’ll will be serving. Look for a pinkish red color when picking your fresh roast and one with some marbling, because as we know, fat = flavor.

I used three herbs for my rub, sage, rosemary and thyme along with garlic and olive oil of course!

If you have a smaller roast, two to three pounds, you can cut it down the center, lengthwise with a sharp knife, being very careful not to go all the way and cut through the bottom, then gently open it up like a book.

Cover the meat with plastic wrap and beat it all over with a meat mallet until it’s about a half inch thickness. If you have a larger roast, four to five pounds, you’ll have to be a little more precise in opening it up. Here’s a good visual for details on the cutting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2Vl78vJMJ8

It’s best to get the roast all prepped and ready for the grill ahead of time so all the flavors can marinate together as it sits in the fridge.

The smell when it’s grilling is out of this world, your neighbors will be so jealous!

Each bite is jam packed with flavor and the pork retains all it’s juices.

Happy Grilling!

How To Grill An Herb Stuffed Pork Loin

Author: Marie

Ingredients

3 lb. fresh pork loin
meat mallet
butchers twine
a small handful each of rosemary, sage and thyme plus extra branches for decorating the roast, and your platter.
3 garlic cloves
olive oil
salt and pepper

Instructions

To Make your herb paste:
On a cutting board or a small food processor place the herbs, garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper.
Chop or pulsing the herb mix then drizzle in some olive until the mixture becomes a loose paste, set aside.
To open up the pork loin take a sharp knife and cut down the center, being care not to cut all the way through.
Open the roast up like you do a book.
(If roast is bigger, refer to the youtube link I provided in the post, and double the herb mixture.)
Lay some plastic wrap on top of opened meat.
Take your meat mallet and pound all over the surface, you want it to be about a half inch thick all around.
Remove plastic wrap and smear all over the surface, reserving enough for the outside of the roast.
Have your butchers twine cut and ready to tie the meat
Now roll up the meat as close and tight as you can and secure it with the twine in 2 inch intervals.
Rub the outside all over with remaining herb mixture and add a branch of each herb under one tie.
At this point you can place in a fridge overnight or you can place in fridge for a couple of hours before grilling, you want the flavors to mingle for a while.
FOR A GAS GRILL
Take roast out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before grilling.
Sear both sides on a medium high flame for a few minutes then lower it down to medium, around 350 until internal temp reaches 140. You will have to move it from time to time checking it and watching your temp but other than that it's hands free, and of course cover your grill.
Remove roast and let it rest under loose foil for 15 minutes.
Cut the twine off and it's ready to slice!