Roasted Fennel with Parmesan

This a little something I made a couple of weeks ago. We'd gotten one fennel bulb in our CSA that week, and I wanted to do something super-fennelly with it, not just mix it into something else. Why? Well... I'm less experienced with fennel, so I wanted to get a feel for the flavor and texture on its own, so I'd have a better idea of what it was adding to recipes.

That said, this recipe calls for 4 fennel bulbs and I had just the one. No matter! I sliced the bulb thinly, into about 4 pieces. I'd made something else as the main (and I can't remember for the life of me what that was), so this was just for kicks.

I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did, because if you know fennel, you know how sharp the flavor is. And with only parm and black pepper on it, it was indeed super-fennelly. Dave didn't care for them, so I got to have his slices, too.

If you love fennel, this makes a really interesting side (or snack, even). I don't know if I'll do this again, but it definitely served its educational purposes.

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan
From Giada’s Family Dinners, by Giada De Laurentiis
c/o Food Network
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_30476,00.html?rsrc=search

4 tablespoons olive oil
4 fennel bulbs, cut horizontally into 1/3-inch thick slices, fronds reserved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly oil the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange the fennel in the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then with the Parmesan. Drizzle with the oil. Bake until the fennel is fork-tender and the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Chop enough fennel fronds to equal 2 teaspoons, then sprinkle over the roasted fennel and serve.

See the recipe...

Parmesan and Polenta Chicken

Chicken dinner number three did not disappoint. The combination of the spinach, basil, corn, and dressing... it was like healthy freshness in your mouth. I'm a big fan of slicing the chicken breasts in half horizontally, cuts the cooking time in half and it makes it easier to control my portions.

The polenta gave the chicken a really nice crunch. As I was prepping, I realized I was out of lemons, so I substituted limes.

I don't really know what else to say, other than, go out and make this dinner. Its perfect for springtime, and you can feel good about eating it. Brooke loved the recipe too, and she totally beat me to it. If two brand-new food bloggers accidentally make it in the same week and both love it, its got to mean something. :)

Parmesan and Polenta Chicken
Donna Hay Magazine, Issue 31

2 cobs corn, husks and silks removed
olive oil for brushing
2 chicken breasts (7 oz each)
flour for dusting
2 eggs, lightly whisked
½ cup polenta
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 ½ oz baby spinach leaves
½ basil leaves
grated parmesan cheese, extra to serve
dressing
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
sea salt and cracked black pepper

To make the dressing, place the mustard, lemon juice, garlic, oil, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Brush the corn with oil, place in a baking dish and roast for 25 minutes or until golden. Slice the kernels from the corn and set aside.

Slice the chicken in half horizontally, dust with the flour, dip into the egg and press into the combined polenta and parmesan to coat. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Arrange the chicken, corn spinach and basil on plates and spoon over the dressing and grated parmesan to serve.

Serves 4.

See the recipe...

Hay Hay its Donna Day 12: Caesar Salad

All craziness of this past week aside, I still have to pinch myself about this. I could barely contain myself when I got the email from Helen on Tuesday, sharing my win with me. Anyone I work with will tell you, I squealed (seriously) and bounced up and down the halls. I called my husband and squealed at him. Called my mom and squealed at her. I think all the nearby dogs heard me squeal in pitches unheard by man.

Why all the giddiness? Because I've only been blogging a month. Rookie luck? Probably. But I'll take it! I'll take it and I'll tell you why. I've always felt awkward: I never know what to say, strangers freak me out, yadda yadda... but talking about food? With other people that love food? Totally my element. And winning this event, to me, is kinda like not being picked last in gym class. My heart is all filled up and I thank you for that. (Could I be ANY lamer??) :)

Once the bouncing passed, I got to wondering what my theme would be for HHDD #12. I quizzed Barbara, creator of these lovely HHDD events, on how this process works. Without her, I think I'd still be brainstorming and pouring over recipes.

Then it came to me, with the last two months of fantastic, mouth-watering sweets, that I could really really use a salad. You know that feeling? You glut your way through a weekend, and you really just want some nice crunchy lettuce? Mind you, this caesar has bacon... but its crunchy, too, so... yah. :)

So, ladies and gentlemen, send me your salads, your wraps, your pizzas and your stuffed things. Anything with the main elements of caesar, and I want to see it. You all are a crafty bunch and I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Fine print:
Please post your caesar salad recipe by May 27th. Once posted, please email it to me at otherpeoplesfood AT gmail DOT com, including your name, name of your blog and its URL, title of your recipe and the URL to your post, and a picture of your caesar. (Whew!) I will post the round-up on June 3rd, winner declared June 10th. To the winner goes a copy of one of my favorite cookbooks and the hosting duties of HHDD #13 (lucky!)

To get you started, I picked Donna Hay's Caesar Salad from her Modern Classics Book 1, posted after the jump.

Good luck, and happy caesaring! :)


Caesar Salad
From “Modern Classics Book 1” by Donna Hay

6 rashers bacon
1 large cos (romaine) lettuce
sea salt and cracked black pepper
¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese
croutons
1 thin baguette, sliced (32 slices)
olive oil
1 clove garlic, halved
dressing
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 anchovy fillets
¼ finely grated parmesan cheese
½ cup (4 fl oz.) vegetable oil

To make the croutons, preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F). Place the baguette slices on a baking tray, brush with the olive oil and bake for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden. Rub each slice with the cut garlic and set aside.

Place the bacon on a baking tray and cook under a hot grill (broiler) until crisp. When cooled, tear into large pieces. Trim the lettuce leaves, reserving the smaller inner leaves and roughly chopping the larger ones.

To make the dressing, process the egg yolk, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, anchovies and parmesan in a food processor until combined. With the motor running, gradually add the oil and process until smooth and creamy. To serve, toss together the lettuce, two-thirds of the dressing, the bacon, croutons, salt and pepper. Spoon over the remaining dressing and top with the shaved parmesan.

Serves 4.

See the recipe...

Eating the Pantry

First, let me introduce myself. I am Katie, and I over-grocery-shop. (Hi, Katie!) I love to grocery shop. I love making lists and picking items out and coming home to make whatever dish I've been thinking about all day. I am Katie, and I have a problem. More on this later.

This past weekend, we emptied out our pantry, freezer, and spices cabinet. We took stock of what we had, and then we put it all back. A few items were left out, stray things like the box of hamburger helper and the mix to make beer bread (like from those parties), the boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese, yadda yadda, you get the point. Stray foods... things we used to eat way back when.

I also went though my piles of recipes - either printed from the internet or ripped from a magazine and never tried... I had piles. Big piles. Hidden under the oversized chair in the living room big. I think I kept a stack a fifth the size... of recipes I KNEW I'd try.

What accomplishing both these tasks means is that we can try to live off what we have. I need to tame my grocery store beast, and live out of the pantry and freezer. I know I can do it. I know, because as I was going through my stacks, I found this recipe for risotto - and all I needed to get was the italian sausage. It was fate. And fate was tasty.


Tomato and Sausage Risotto
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=1ca8ad948aa0f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=tomato%20and%20sausage%20risotto&rsc=ns2006_r1

1 (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, in juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 small onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (10 to 14 ounces) flat-leaf spinach, washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 7 Cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
2 tablespoons butter

In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.

Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid).

Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

See the recipe...