Monday, July 20, 2009

summer pasta salad with fresh vegetables and light miso dressing

mixed together 1.5T. spicy brown mustard, 2T. soy sauce, 1T. sherry vinegar, 1T. white miso paste, a pinch of garlic powder, dried onion, salt and pepper. poured the dressing over shaved yellow and orange carrots, finely chopped green onion, thin slices of asian turnips, sweet peas, chunks of raw cauliflower, slices of granny smith apple, and 1/2lb. of penne pasta, cooked al dente and rinsed in cold water and drained well.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

spicy grilled lime and basil fava beans with a crusted savory polenta lava cake

lightly sauteed 1/4c. finely diced home cured pork belly in 1T. olive oil until the fat rendered and the meat was lightly browned. added two cloves of crushed garlic, a little salt, fresh cracked pepper, and a bay leaf, simmered for a bit, then poured in 1 3/4c. boiling water, and a 1/4c. can of tomato sauce. brought the liquid to a rolling boil, then added 1/2c. dried polenta, whisking continuously until thick, then stirred in 1/4c. Grated dubliner cheddar and 1/4c. grated parmesan cheese. prepped two ramekins by spraying them with canola oil, dusting the oiled insides with cornmeal, and adding a base layer of pankos which had been tossed in some dry mustard powder and salt. the hot polenta was then poured into the ramekins, allowed to cool for 15-minutes, and then transferred onto a plate, upside down, still in the ramekins until ready to serve (at which point the ramekins were pulled off, leaving a mold of polenta crusted with seasoned pankos and cornmeal, with a gooey polenta center).

tossed some fava beans in a few cloves of crushed garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, then placed on a hot grill, about 5-minutes per side, until nicely charred. plated the beans topped with a squeeze of lime juice, a dash of cayenne and some ribbons of fresh basil.

[fava bean idea: 101cookbooks]