Proud Italian Cook

Creamy Warm Polenta with Broccoli Rabe, Mushrooms and Roasted Tomatoes

February 19, 2013 by Marie 19 Comments

Creamy polenta is the perfect winter fare, it’s warm, comforting and becomes the ideal rustic meal for a very cold winter day!

Fresh herbs, grated Parmigiano Reggiano and a touch of cream stirred into the polenta makes it so irresistible, you’ll be tempted to eat it straight out of the pan, trust me!

But please try and resist the urge because it tastes even better when it’s spread out all over a platter and then topped with your favorite vegetables.

I used garlicky broccoli rabe, juicy roasted tomatoes and sauteed portobellos to grace the top of mine. I didn’t even have time to plate it, we just grabbed 2 forks and went to town!

Now if you’re feeling like you need just a little more comfort, place a couple of poached eggs on top and let that yolk ooze on out. I guarantee all your senses will be satisfied!

Creamy Warm Polenta with Broccoli Rabe, Mushrooms and Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients

1 cup polenta ( I used the quick cook kind)
2 cups of chicken broth, or vegetable
2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 heaping tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley and basil
½ cup of half and half
drizzle of olive oil
3 portobello mushrooms, gills removed and sliced
1 bunch of broccoli rabe
5 campari tomatoes or several cherry tomatoes
2 shallots
4 minced garlic
splash of white wine

Instructions

Prepare Vegetables: Roast tomatoes on baking sheet with foil drizzled with olive oil at 400 until they slightly burst.
Boil broccoli rabe for 5 minutes then place in ice bath, drain, then saute with 2 cloves of shaved garlic, olive oil and a pinch of crushed red pepper.
Saute 2 chopped garlic and 2 chopped shallots in olive oil, add sliced mushrooms and a splash of white wine, cook until moisture evaporates.
For the Polenta: Boil water and broth along with the butter, whisk in polenta cook until bubbly and creamy.
Stir in grated Parmigiano, herbs and the half and half, drizzling a little more olive oil.
Spread polenta on a platter or board, arrange veggies on top, garnish with more Parmigiano

19 Comments Filed Under: Eggs, Grains, Vegetables Tagged: broccoli rabe, creamy polenta, poached egg, portobello mushrooms, roasted tomatoes

Flourless Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake

February 12, 2013 by Marie 23 Comments

I baked a cake for you, a flourless chocolate cake! I figured Valentines Day is right around the corner and we needed something sweet around here. It’s been a while since I made something chocolate and the fewer the ingredients for me, the better, so I decided to make this decadent but easy to make cake.

I’ve been waiting for just the right reason for me to showcase these beautiful hazelnuts that I recently received from my friend Cathy who lives in Oregon. Oregon state happens to be the single largest producer of hazelnuts in the U.S.

If you have a hard time finding hazelnut flour near you, you can always buy it online, it’s nice to have it for special occasions, I store mine in the freezer to keep it fresh.

Rich, decadent, fudgy and dense that’s how I would describe this cake, just make sure you buy a good quality dark chocolate it makes all the difference.

I’m not a chocoholic by any means, ( I’ve updated this and that opinion sure has changed! The smell of rich, dark melted chocolate is pretty irresistible, I need to be cooking and baking with it more often than I do. There’s something about dark chocolate, you don’t need much to completely satisfy your sweet tooth, just a little slice will do ya!

Plop a dollop of fresh whipped cream to balance the yummy richness, and shape a strawberry slice into a heart for garnish and this could be hands down your perfect Valentines Day dessert!

Flourless Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake

Ingredients

1 cup toasted hazelnut meal
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
5oz of dark chocolate, chopped
4 eggs, separated
¼ teaspoon salt
coco powder for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 8" springform pan. Set aside
In a large heatproof bowl over simmering water add chocolate, butter and sugar, melt and whisk until mixture is smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool down.
In smaller bowl beat the yolks until they break up. Pour into cooled chocolate mixture. Stir in all the ground hazelnuts.
Beat egg whites and salt into a soft peak then fold into the chocolate mixture ⅓ at a time until incorporated.
Place batter into your prepared pan and bake 35 minutes or until center is firm and springs back.
cool and then dust with good quality cocoa.

23 Comments Filed Under: Cakes Tagged: dark chocolate dessert, flourless cake, hazelnut meal, hazelnuts, Valentines Day dessert

Vegetable Paella, Italian Style

February 6, 2013 by Marie 49 Comments

I have a 14″ paella pan that I got from HSN many years ago, it was a Todd English pan, I think he makes a different one now but you can still get it. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve used that pan, I’ve made so many things in it. I love it for frittatas, they come out perfect in it and you can feed a ton of people. You can use it on top of the stove, in the oven or under the broiler. When ever I need to bring a big side dish somewhere I often use my 14″ paella pan. I recently made a huge primavera pasta pie in it, which I’ll post about in the near future. I think I’ve only used it once to make an actual traditional paella, saffron and all, with chicken, seafood and sausage.

By now all my regular readers know the”veggie issues” that I have, and since I needed to bring a side dish to someones house recently I decided to make a vegetable paella with an Italian twist. I’m here to tell you it was a big hit!

I’ve always been attracted by the way paella looks, pinwheels of color all in one pan, it’s very impressive looking when it gets placed on the table!

With small amounts of veggies and a little bit of rice you could recreate this for your next party, serving it as a side or a main course.

There is no saffron here in my version, instead I infused the rice with roasted red pepper puree which gave it my little Italian twist.

Hope you like it!

Vegetable Paella, Italian Style

Ingredients

1½ cups of short grain arborio rice
4 cups of warmed chicken or veggie stock
1 cup of roasted red pepper puree made from 4 peppers, blistered, peeled and cored and placed into a food processor until pureed.
1 medium eggplant
1 zucchini
1 each, red, yellow and orange bell pepper cut in strips
8oz. crimini mushroom caps
1 bag frozen artichoke hearts
a handful of haricot vert beans
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion
olive oil
grated romano or parmesan cheese
chopped basil for garnish

Instructions

14" paella pan or a wide skillet, if smaller just adjust rice by 1 cup
Roast the eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, artichokes and the peppers ahead of time, and set aside. 400F drizzled with olive oil.
Purchase or make your own red pepper puree, have that ready made also
Drizzle the bottom of the pan with olive oil, saute the garlic and onions until light golden, add rice and stir until coated then add in ½ cup of the roasted red pepper puree and stir until mixed through.
Smooth rice until it is flat all over the bottom of the pan, then gently pour in the heated broth being careful not to move the rice, sprinkle with a generous helping of grated cheese, a little salt and black pepper.
Arrange all your veggies on top of the rice and broth in the order that you would like, sprinkle with more grated cheese.
Let it cook med low until moisture starts to disappear then cover with foil until rice is tender, mine took about 40 minutes, you might have to add a little more broth just keep checking. Dot some of the remaining pepper puree all around for added flavor.
Garnish with fresh chopped basil and a drizzle of olive oil
Note: You might have a few extra veggies left over after you fill the pan