Polenta Fontina Panini with Mushroom Sauce

I won't bother with applicable chatter today. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and I can't decide if I want to take a nap or cuss for no reason. It's still close to lunchtime here, so if I went out to my car to blurt obscenities, people might see me... and being the New Girl, I don't want to give anyone the wrong idea. Heh.

Two things that amuse me:

1. The syncopation of this recipe. Polenta-Fontina-Panini. Polenta-Fontina-Panini. (Reminds me a little of the zucchini-ricotta-frittata, actually.) Repeat it a few times and it loses its meaning, but I don't mind.

2. Totally unrelated - I had to take Squito (one of my cats) to the vet Monday. He had an awful looking limp and seemed pitiful. I got him to the vet, the vet had him walk around and the little fuzzy jerk didn't limp. He didn't even cry when the vet poked him. Dr. Z seemed to think my faker cat is fine, just old, maybe a pulled muscle, blah blah... and gave me a prescription of chondroitin for him. CHONDROITIN!!! I love that! I love that my noisy fat furball gets to be treated like an old man and have joint medicine mixed into his food. Is that weird? Maybe. But whatever. I like it, so it stays. Soon he'll be asking me to pull his finger.

Recipe notes: We had this way back in November, so the details are a little fuzzy. I know I liked it and thought it was easy. I want to say that Dave didn't love it but didn't hate it (he's only so-so on sun-dried tomatoes and they're featured prominently in this). I know I enjoyed the messy little stacks in made, too. I think it was a really nice healthy vegetarian dinner, but I can see how the addition of some Italian sausage might make it spectacular.

Polenta Fontina Panini with Mushroom Sauce
c/o The Washington Post Food Section
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2007/11/07/polenta-fontina-paninis-mushroom-sauce/

2 to 3 small shallots
1 tablespoon thyme leaves (may substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 18-ounce roll cooked polenta (ends trimmed)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 pound sliced mixed mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake and button
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese

Mince the shallots and the thyme leaves. Cut the polenta crosswise in half, then cut each half into quarters, then cut each of those quarters in half, making 16 equal slices total; set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until they have softened. Add the sliced mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper; cook for 5 minutes, stirring, or until the mushrooms are tender and have exuded liquid. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting; keep warm.

Meanwhile, finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and combine with the shredded fontina cheese.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter on a large nonstick griddle over medium heat until the butter is bubbly. Arrange 8 polenta slices on the griddle and sprinkle them with the tomato-cheese mixture, using most of it. Top with the remaining 8 polenta slices to form sandwiches. Cook for 3 minutes, then carefully turn over the sandwiches and cook for 3 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the polenta has deepened in color. (For an optional panini effect, place a second pan or heavy pot on the sandwiches to press them.) Turn off the heat; sprinkle the remaining tomato-cheese mixture on top of the 8 sandwiches so that it melts slightly and let sit for 1 minute; transfer to individual plates (2 sandwiches per serving) and top with the mushroom mixture. Serve immediately.

Recipe Source:
Adapted from "The Great Big Butter Cookbook," edited by Diana von Glahn (Running Press, 2007).

290 calories, 16g fat, 9g saturated fat, 48mg cholesterol, 505mg sodium, 26g carbohydrates, 2g dietary fiber, 11g protein.

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Butter Beans with Parsley, Tomatoes and Chorizo

I wanted to like this more than I did. And I think its all my fault. I thought it was weird that only the chorizo got a turn in the pan... and I wanted to have warm beans and tomatoes... So... once the chorizo was browned a little, I tossed everything else into the pan. Do not do this at home. What ended up happening was all the chorizo oil got onto everything else.. so every bite tasted like it, regardless of what you put into your mouth. Now, if you like that sort of thing, feel free to replicate.

Now, what I would do differently is: Follow the instructions. Now that I've had some time to think about it, I think the differences in temperature would have been a nice contrast... or maybe I would heat the veggies in a separate pot... either way... don't let your chorizo oil ruin your dinner. Again, unless you're into that. ;)

Butter Beans with Parsley, Tomatoes and Chorizo
c/o Food and Wine Magazine, May 2007

1 14 oz can butter beans with their liquid
½ pound chorizo, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small saucepan, heat the butter beans in their liquid. In a large skillet, cook the chorizo over high heat until it is lightly browned and most of the fat is rendered, about two minutes.

In a medium serving bowl, whisk the oil and vinegar. Stir in the tomatoes, onion and parsley. Drain the beans and chorizo and add them to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Serve warm.

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Italian-Style Tofu Bake

Italian-style tofu what? It might not look like much, but it made me really happy. I have had pizza on the brain for the better part of a week, and while this wasn't a perfect match, it was pretty close. And close in a really useful way. You know how you have a craving for M&M's, but you try to be good and have an apple instead? And then maybe you have some baked lays? But deep down, you still really want those M&M's, and eventually you get them, and you're satisfied, but now you've ALSO had the apple and chips? Yah, this dinner was like that, except it kinda worked. (Next time I make it, though, I'm going to follow the Hubs' suggestion and add sausage or pepperoni and maybe a little tomato sauce).

Whoa. What all that meant was: this was a light, healthy dinner masquerading as pizza (or lasagna maybe?), and I'm okay with that. I think it has a lot of potential - lots of different ways to mix and match, according to your tastes and state of mind. Want sausage? Or maybe mushrooms? No? Green pepper maybe more your style? Add it!

Worth noting - make sure you press the tofu slices between paper towels before you line the baking dish with them (or really, press them out before you do anything with tofu). A lot of liquid comes out, and it will lead to a nicer textured tofu (less squishy)(unless you like that).

O! I also used some fresh basil on top, rather than dried, and I used smoked sun-dried tomatoes and smoked mozz... added nice depth.

Italian-Style Tofu Bake
From: The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook: 200 Delicious Recipes Ready in 30 Minutes or Less

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
10 ounces fresh spinach, thick stems trimmed (5 cups packed or 10 cups loosely packed)
1 (15 ounce) package firm tofu, sliced lengthwise into 8 pieces
1 tablespoon dried basil, divided
4 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), drained and thinly sliced
½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400°F.

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add spinach, cover, and cook until wilted and tender, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Lay tofu slices in a single layer in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle each slice with a pinch of the basil.

Top tofu slices evenly with spinach, tomatoes, mozzarella, Parmesan, and remaining basil. Bake until tofu is hot and cheeses are melted and bubbling, about 15 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 190 cals, 12 g fat, 3.5 sat fat, 19 g protein, 6 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 280 mg sodium

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