Sausage over Polenta

Some of my favorite dishes have come out of my kitchen out of necessity. I had no plans for this dish, it just happened. I found a package of sausage in my freezer that had been there for a while and I knew I needed to use it up or throw it out soon. Plus it was one of those days when I just could not stand going out for groceries again. I was trying to find something I could throw together for dinner and I thought of those sausage.  

I also found a little bag of polenta in the pantry, that I honestly did not even know I had.  Bingo, polenta and sausage!  A no brainer.  And I always have cans of tomatoes in my pantry so this dish was born.

Saute 4 sausages for 5 minutes per side in heavy saute pan. Allow the sausage to get some good color on it so keep the heat up high. After the 10 minutes of cooking time deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of wine or broth. Scrape up all the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add 2 large cloves of garlic, minced, 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of dried oregano  and simmer on low for about 20 minutes  covered.  Turn the sausage over and continue to cook another 20 minutes more. The sausage will be tender and the sauce will have reduced. If you loose to much moisture you can add in a little water. 

In the meantime cook 1 cup of polenta in 3 cups of salted water for 5 minutes or according to package directions. Whisk constantly.  Turn off heat and add 3 tablespoons butter and 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and allow all to melt. 

To serve, make a pile of polenta in the bottom of a bowl, put 2 sausage over each, and spoon on sauce.  Grate a little more cheese over all.  

Makes 2 servings. 

My new favorite cookbook - Country Cooking of France

Country Cooking of France by Anne Willan. 

I go to the library about every 3 weeks and each time I go I walk through the cookbook section looking for something new or something I have not read before.  I picked this book up and brought it home to read having never heard of it. I ended up reading it cover to cover.  Over time I've learned that instead of buying books and hoping that I like them, I now check them out of the library first and check them out before buying them and being disappointed.  

Books like this are meant to be relished.  Every morning while I was having my coffee, I turned pages and read the book.  I got lost, in the stories, many about certain recipes, and about the villages where these recipes were born, and about the people.  There are also some stories about the great restaurants and chefs of France.  It was so enjoyable reading the stories and I consider it an added bonus that you don't normally get with a cookbook.  And of course reading all the recipes and the techniques was the interesting part to me and is usually the reason I buy a cookbook. 

After reading this book only part way I knew I had to own this book. Books like this are very rare.  The recipes are wonderful, the stores an added bonus, and the photos make you feel like you are there.  It is beautifully written and so authentic.  There are tons of cookbooks on the market and lots of them are not very good. I've tried making recipes from some of these books and they don't turn out. And I am a good cook. I know what I'm doing.  That is why, when I find a book like this, I have to own it and add it to my collection, and I feel compelled to share it. I think it is part of the enjoyment to see my friends appreciate the book along with me.

My husband and I will enjoy many great meals from this book, and I get the enjoyment of trying new recipes that I would never otherwise make. I can't wait to get started. There is a recipe for a goat cheese salad I want to make so I already made the marinated goat cheese the other day. In a week or so the cheese will be ready and I can then make the salad. And when I do, you can bet I will share it on my food blog for you to enjoy. 

Buying a whole salmon

I was out food shopping one day, cruising through the fish department, and ran into an entire whole wild salmon for sale.  Hum.  I stood there looking at it, comparing it to the filleted salmon right next to it, and the price difference of each item.   The whole fish was $3.00 per pound cheaper than the fish that was already filleted. Wouldn't you seriously consider it for that kind of savings?  Or is it just me? 

I had some experience in filleting a fish many years ago and found out how difficult it was, so I really had to think about this.  Yikes, did I really want to get myself into that situation again?  In the end I could not pass up the savings and bought the whole fish.  I brought it home and begged my husband help me fillet it! 

I've gotta tell you it was a little overwhelming. And you have to have to certain amount of strength to cut through it all, and that's where my husband came in. He has the brawn, and I have the technique.  Between the both of us, we took turns at the fish.  It took a while :)  He cracked through the backbone so we could cut it down the center. 

Then we had to fillet the fish off the backbone, which is the most difficult part, and you can lose a lot of fish if you are not careful.  Then I starting pulling out the bones, and finally we cut it up into serving size pieces. 

In the end we ended up with 9 meals from this fish and since it cost me just under $42.00 which averages out to $4.66 per meal, which is $2.33 per serving. For wild salmon!  I am thrilled.  I can't believe that we get to eat wild salmon for this prices. 

I put the servings in zip lock bags and put them in the freezer. Now I simply pull out  a bag, put in a bowl of cold water to defrost, and its ready to make for dinner.  

There is no way on earth I will ever find that deal again but now I am so happy I decided to tackle it.  It just means keeping your eyes open and being open to something that is a little more work than you'd like.   With the prices of food these days I am willing to do a little more work to get the savings. 

I hope this will inspire you to go out and find a deal and tackle it.  Good luck! 

Panzanella

Panzanella.  Ever heard of it? I know the name is a bit odd but if you've ever been fortunate enough to enjoy this dish you know that you will never forget it.  It's kind of a tomato and veggie and bread salad. It's made during the summer months when its too hot to cook and when the tastiest tomatoes are available. I made this the other night for a concert on the lake and everyone enjoyed it.


Ingredients for salad: 
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small french bread loaf
1 tsp sea salt
2 large ripe tomatoes, preferably heirlooms
1 hothouse cucumber
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper 
1/2 red onion
20 large basil leaves 
4 tbsp capers

Ingredients for vinaigrette: 
1 tsp finely minced garlic 
1 tsp dijon mustand
3 tbsp tarragon vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes.  Heat the 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet and toast the bread with the salt tossing until they are nicely browned.  Add more oil as needed. Set aside.

Cut the tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces and put in a large bowl.

Cut the cucumber length wise down the middle and using a spoon,  scoop out the seeds. Then slice into thin slices and add to bowl with the tomatoes.

Cut the peppers into 1/2 inch pieces and add to the bowl.

Slice the red onion in very thin slices, add to the bowl.

Drain the capers and add to the bowl.  Chiffonade the basil and add to the bowl.

Make the vinaigrette by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and, using a whisk, blend it to emulsify, and it is thick and creamy looking.  Pour the dressing over the vegetables in the bowl.  Toss well.

Add the bread to the bowl and toss well again. Allow to sit for 30 to 60 minutes to allow the bread to absorb some of the dressing. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Serve at room temperature. 

This recipe makes a large bowl full and easily serves a group. There were 5 of us and I had lots left over.  I also want you to know that it is not so good the next day so eat it all up or consider halving the recipe.