Shiitake Mushrooms & Gorgonzola Pizza with Arugula

Tonight, me and my workwife Erica got together to study for our final. We planned it out perfectly. Make a meal, study while we cook, study while we eat, study after we eat, drink some, and then have an awesome slumber party.

We went to the store and handpicked our ingredients. I suggested Medici pizza dough. Erica requested a stinkier cheese and arugula. I suggested shiitake mushrooms. It turned out perfect. I mean, come on. Look at this pizza:

1 lb Pizza Dough
1/4 c. Flour
2 c. Baby Arugula
1 1/2 c. Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled
2 c. Mozzarella Cheese, grated
1/2 c. Parmesan Romano Cheese, grated
1/4 lb Shiitake Mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 medium/large Shallot, diced
1-2 cloves of Garlic, minced
Olive oil
Dried Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
Egg (optional – but really, you are gonna want this egg)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a medium saucepan on medium to high heat, pour in some olive oil. Sauté the onions and garlic until the onions become translucent. Then add the shiitake mushrooms until they release majority of their moisture and become fragrant. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Knead out any air bubbles in your pizza dough. Split into two pizzas or leave it as one large pizza. Use your judgement in terms of circumference. You are going to want a denser outside crust and a thinner inside!

Dust a pan with flour and place the dough on top!

First, build a layer with mozzarella cheese and gorgonzola cheese. Then pour onto it, the mushroom mixture! Throw on some more cheese including the parmesan! Season the pizza on top with the dried oregano!

Pop it into the oven for about 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese gets all bubbly!

If you like it, then you shoulda put an egg on it. If you plan to put an egg on top (don’t screw up like I did and let the egg move all over the sides..) and place it on top of the pizza about 5-8 minutes before the pizza is done cooking. The egg will be ready when all of the egg white is set and some of the yolk starts to set.

Serve and top with some arugula! The best way to eat this is with some prosecco and a CBT study guide and case study. I loved the earthy flavors of the shiitakes with the gorgonzola cheese! You cannot go wrong here.

Happy Finals Week!

Love,

Mimi

Triple-A Couscous Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes

Asparagus, Arugula, and Artichokes comprise the Triple A’s in this delicious couscous dish! I threw this together tonight and it is one of the most tasty meals! I made it extra winey because that’s how I like it, but feel free to tinker around with those measurements!

Triple-A Couscous Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes

2-3 T. Oil
1/4 – 1/2 c. Artichoke hearts, sliced in small chunks and big chunks
6-7 stalks of Asparagus, sliced
2 c. loosely packed Arugula
1 1/3 c. dried Israeli Couscous, make as directed on box
1/4 c. Sun-dried Tomatoes, chopped
1/2 White Onion, diced
1/4 c. Grated Parmesan (optional)
2-3 T. Parsley
1/2 – 1 c. Dry White Wine
Salt and Pepper to taste

Roast your asparagus whole with about 1/2 T. of Oil, salt and pepper to taste at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until tender. Once cooked, slice up into 1-2″ pieces! Cook your couscous!

Once the couscous is all cooked, keep it in the saucepan and set the stove to a low/simmer heat. Mix in your onions and sun-dried tomatoes. Cover the couscous for about 3-4 minutes so it gets all steamed up!

Then turn off the stove. Pour in the wine then fold in your artichokes and sliced asparagus.

Make sure to vary your artichoke heart sizes so that you get some real tasty bites!

Throw everything into a mixing bowl with the remaining olive oil and you could add here some type of wine or cider vinegar if you have! Lastly, fold in the arugula and you’re all done!

Serve hot, room temperature, or even cold! Enjoy! 

This dish is perfect as a side, starter salad, or a delicious summer lunch!

Love,

Mimi

Spring Vegetable Pot Pie

When I saw this recipe from feasting at home on foodgawker, my jaw dropped. I decided I HAD to make it. So I originally made this recipe almost word-for-word. Okay, so I actually changed quite a bit. I took out the tofu and the nutritional yeast, plus we opted in corn, because duh! I also skipped the step to blanch the potatoes, whoops! And I used regular pastry dough instead of the vegan kind, but whatever floats your boat!

The first time that I made it, we chose to use carrots, fennel, mushrooms, corn and peas. The fennel gave it a great bright and interesting taste that blended perfectly with the tarragon, but finding a good fennel bulb proved to be somewhat difficult!

I loved the recipe so much that I just had to make it again for some friends the other night. This time, I changed up the recipe even more! I chose carrots, asparagus, mushrooms, corn, and…white beans – to throw in some protein! I also swapped out the broth for water and used significantly less so it was a heartier and thicker filling, plus it didn’t leak!

Best part about making it twice means twice as many pictures!

Spring Vegetable Pot Pie

2 T Oil
1/4 c. Flour
2 c. Water
1 c. Onion, diced
2 T. Garlic, minced
1 c. Carrot, diced
1 c. Asparagus or 1 c. Fennel, sliced
1 c. Mushrooms
1 12 oz. can of White Beans, drained and rinsed or 1 c. Peas
1-2 Large Russet Potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/3 c Dry White Wine
1 T. Fresh Thyme
2 T. Fresh Tarragon
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 package or pre-made puff pastry dough

—

Preheat the oven to 400F

Saute onions and garlic on medium to high heat until the onions become translucent. Add in your vegetables being mindful of their cooking speeds and the liquid they release. Meaning, toss in the mushrooms and let them release some moisture, then throw in the potatoes and carrots. Throw in the corn and asparagus last!

Turn heat to medium low and saute until vegetables are close to being done, but could still use maybe 2-3 more minutes, about 12 minutes. Splash with wine, and cook on med heat until it evaporates, about 5 minutes.

Stir in flour and cook one minute while stirring. Add water and mustard and stir until it just comes to a boil and thickens. Fold in the white beans! Turn the heat off! Add fresh tarragon and thyme and stir up until it becomes fragrant! If you prefer a soupier pot pie, then feel free to use the original measurement of 3 c. of water or broth.

   

See the difference? Whichever looks tastier to you – go for it! Note that they do get a little soupier while baking so the right side wasn’t totally dry!

Fill greased oven proof ramekins or baking dish. Our recipe fit perfectly into my 4 beautiful lion’s head bowls!

Roll out Puff pastry dough to fit what you will be using. If using individual ramekins, place them on the dough and use as a pattern, and cut around them. We liked to make fun designs on the top like letters and shapes!

Bake for 20-30 minutes until puffed and golden. Then you can crack into that crust like a crème brûlée and dig in!

I love this dish! You feel like a scavenger searching for all kinds of goodies inside this bowl! All the vegetables provide for some fun different textures inside and it is incredibly flavorful! It is a super delicious and hearty meal that is a great crowd pleaser! Plus, the puff pastry on top really makes you look and feel super gourmet – even if it is store-bought Pepperidge Farm. Shh!

–

Enjoy and love on this beautiful weather!

Love,

Mimi

Vegetable and Herb Gardening

Me and my friend Esther, a fellow cook with a deep love for vegetables, decided to grow a vegetable and herb garden this summer.

Partly because we love vegetables, partly because we want to eat yummy fresh produce and use fresh herbs, and partly because it’s a great way to utilize our amazing mothering instincts.

Yesterday, we went to the Hyde Park Garden Fair and went a little bit wacko. We’re kind of out of control, but we are proud of it.

We bought pots on pots on pots of vegetables and herbs, compost dirt, regular soil, and some gardening tools.

Here’s what we got:

Vegetables
- Spinach
- Red Tomatoes
- Yellow Tomatoes
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Brussels Sprouts
- Celery
- Onions
- Leeks

Herbs
- Sweet Basil
- Spicy Basil
- Chocolate Mint
- Cilantro
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Thyme

Today, while gardening, we also met a new friend, Todd, a fellow gardener who shares the garden space. He let us use his watering can and he even gave us two Sweet Yellow Peppers to grow in our space!

We are utilizing a LOT of space. We didn’t realize just how much space we’d need until we assessed where everything should go yesterday afternoon. We originally started out with this plot where I’m sitting and soon realized, there’s NO WAY it would be enough room!

Today, we cleared away and expanded into another plot! We also decided to pot some of our plants that we’d like to keep after we change apartments and we move to the Northside next year!

Here’s the progress we made this morning:

This is plot number 1. Inside, we have onions, sweet basil, cilantro, spinach, thyme, big boy red tomato plant and cherry tomato plant

Then we did some potting..

In the pots, we have all the rest of the tomato plants: big boy red tomatoes, golden boy yellow tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes! One of our golden boys got a little shocked by the whole potting process and a huge part of his branches snapped today and his leaves got all wilty. We’re holding out to see how he does after a couple of days in his new environment with the warm weather.

Next, we cleared away and started the new plot:

On side 1 of the 2nd plot, we have a row of Brussels sprouts, a to-be planted parsley plant, and some golden self-blanching celery.

Side two of Plot 2 features our sweet yellow peppers (thanks Todd!) And soon to be, the leeks! In the boxes, we have some herbs that we hope to pot and take with us after the summer: spicy basil, chocolate mint, and rosemary.

I gotta be honest, the chocolate mint is probably my favorite. It is incredibly fragrant and I can’t get enough of it!

We are loving the therapeutic nature of gardening! I love being able to tend to all of our little babies as they start to grow! Cannot wait for them to start producing delicious treats for us throughout the summer!

I encourage everyone to go and enjoy this warm weather! Whether you are gardening, going for a long walk, or simply sitting outside with a glass of lemonade – go enjoy the sun! You deserve it!

Love,

Mimi

Bienenstich (The Viking Honey Cake)

The bienenstich, which in German translates to “bee sting,” is a delicious dessert, but I am reluctant to call it a “cake.” It’s made on a yeasty sweet bread, you see, and is a little more savory than you’d expect for something you’d give to someone for their birthday. What it loses sweetness in the body, it makes up for on top, with its crunchy, honey almond coat. MM. was it good. It’s kinda like caramel, but I hate caramel. And I loved this. Honey caramel. I giant, almondy, bit o’ honey melted onto some bread.

What’s even better about this cake is the history. Well, questionable history. I read quite a few sources that say this cake’s name was founded in the 15th century after German raiders successfully conquered a neighboring village by flinging swarming beehives into the throng. I like to think that they were vikings. Honey-crazed vikings.

It’s probably myth, but for the sake of this cake (and for it’s devious tastiness) let’s say that it’s true. I mean, the cake itself is practically a battle in and of itself. This cake took me almost four hours to make. In Francisco-time, that’s two episodes of Freaks and Geeks, and then my library discovery for the day, The Harvey Girls, which, sidenote, is the gayest movie I’ve ever seen.

the most photogenic cake in the world.

I’ve altered our lady Deb’s recipe just a bit. Copied and pasted almost exactly* from the Smitten Kitchen recipe.

Cake
2 1/4 teaspoons (or 1 1/4-ounce package) instant yeast (not active dry) (also sold as rapid rise or bread machine yeast)
3/4 cup whole milk, ideally at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, ideally at room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Honey-Almond-Crunch Topping
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold is fine
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (4 3/4 ounces) sliced almonds
Two pinches of sea salt

Pastry Cream Filling
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or cornstarch [updated]
2 pinches sea salt
3ish tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold is fine

*I added more honey, duh.

Real quick note: I didn’t want to buy whole milk and then waste the rest, so I used skim milk and then bought a very tiny carton of heavy cream, adding 3 tablespoons of cream per 1 cup of milk. Easy!

CAKE: Combine all of the cake ingredients in a  bowl, stirring till it combined and battery, then stirring for two minutes more. In a stand mixer, you can mix this with the paddle attachment OR you can make like me and use a little elbow grease at low-medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

Get all the batter off of the sides of the bowl and then cover with plastic wrap to let rise for an hour. It won’t rise that much. Don’t get excited.

Meanwhile, we gotta make the honey crunchy yummy top. In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter, sugar, honey, cream and salt until the butter is melted. Bring to a simmer and let it boil for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture gets a hair darker and looks like some gaseous planet.

it was like this.

and then like this.

Then add the almonds. It’ll get real thick and candy-like but don’t sweat it. Set it aside to cool.

Butter and flour a 8-inch round cake pan. I only had a 10 inch, which is why my cake is a little thin, but if you have something even smaller, go for it. Deflate the batter and then nudge it until it fills the bottom of the pan. Cover again with plastic wrap  and set aside for another 30 minutes.

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Once the cake has finished its second rise (that little guy still won’t rise that much, but don’t worry, every dog has his day) you gotta put the almond crunchy stuff on the cake. It doesn’t really “spread” per se, because it’s thick like a melty granola bar. Me? I made like the 15th century viking raiders and used my hands to evenly plop the almond goop on top. If it’s super chunky and worrisome on top, know that everything is going to flatten out once it gets into the oven. It’s quite picturesque.

Bake cake for 20 to 25 minutes, until top is bronzed and toothpick inserted into the center comes out batter-free. The caramel stuff will start to bubble and look super scary, but it settles and soaks as soon as the cake comes out of the oven, so don’t fret.

Transfer to a cooling rack and after it sits a bit, run a knife around the circumference to free it from its spring form clutches. Let it cool and yea, you’ll have to reassemble the cake a little bit. The almonds will no doubt fall off and goop and be weird but just tack ‘em back on.

The pastry filling part deserves your full attention. It’s easy to mess up. Don’t try at multi-tasking by doing your whisking while watching the bar fight scene of The Harvey Girls on your laptop. I had to rewind it twice.

To make the pastry filling, which you might want to do while the dough is rising the second time, Warm milk in a medium saucepan. Slowly drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of honey into the milk and warm it. It is necessary to taste the milk & honey mixture. Pour into a small bowl or cup, and set aside. Do this next part quickly! You don’t want the milk to cool too much.

Rinse saucepan and off the heat, whisk the yolks and sugar together like an angry viking. Whisk in flour and salt. Drizzle in warm honey-milk a spoonful at a time, whisking indefinitely. Never stop whisking. You don’t want anything to curdle. Once you’ve add half of it, you can add the rest and return the saucepan to a medium-high heat until it bubble, then simmer for one to two minutes. During this part, I also added even more honey. Again, never stop whisking. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla extract.

Cool custard and cake completely before assembling the cake. I put the custard in the fridge.

Finally, assemble the cake by flipping it and dividing it in half, width-wise, with a serrated knife. Do this carefully.

Once both the cake and pastry cream are fully cooled, place the cake on a serving platter and divide it horizontally into two layers with a long serrated knife. Spread your custard all over the bottom, oo, mm, yea, baby. Then, put the bottom, back on the upside down top. Does that make sense? I assembled it this way because I wanted to move the top as little as possible. It’s very fragile and goopy and falling-apart-like. Then flip the cake over onto a serving platter.

Enjoy this by yourself. Don’t share. Eat it with coffee. With milk. With honeyed coffee. With honeyed milk. With ANYTHING JUST EAT IT NOW.

Love,
Francisco, the Red Beard

Ethiopian Diamond, Chicago, IL

It is VERY rare that there is a cuisine I’ve never tried before. I am an extremely adventurous eater and I never say no to a new opportunity!

This afternoon, I got to experience Ethiopian cuisine for the first time. I went to Ethiopian Diamond on Broadway in Edgewater with Erica, Kate, and Anna. While it seems like a little hole-in-the-wall place, it is SO worth it to head inside! You must try this place!

We made sure to go all out. We ordered vegetarian sambusas, two veggie combos (we tried 6 out of the 7 options on the vegetarian list of watt & alicha), and a pot of Ethiopian tea.

Sambusas are very similar to Indian Samosas. They are fried and filled with all kinds of goodies. We tried the three different vegetarian types: Spinach, Potato and Carrot, and Whole Lentils served with a sweet sauce.

Ethiopian food is eaten entirely with your hands. They serve it on a giant tray covered in these spongy flat breads called “injera” that are almost crepe-like and have a nice tangy taste.

Injera is a very symbolic aspect of the Ethiopian dining experience – eating the bread all from the same plate symbolizes the bonds of loyalty and friendship. It is especially encouraged that those eating from the same plate should express these bonds through “gursha” and feed each other different bites.

Atop the injera, they put different blobs of stewed goodness called “wat” or “alicha” (wat is spicy and alicha is mild) in different spots with a little salad in the center.

All of the foods we ordered were vegetarian. The restaurant states: “all vegetarian dishes are cooked in vegetable oil and contain no eggs, butter, milk, or honey!”

Specifically, we got (starting from the middle right and going counter-clockwise):

Yemisir Watt: Red lentils simmered with onions in a spicy homemade sauce.
Kik Alicha: Split peas cooked in a mild sauce of onion, garlic and ginger.
Quosta: Chopped spinach simmered in a mild sauce of onions and fresh garlic.
Tikel Gomen: Sliced cabbage and carrots cooked in a mild sauce.
Yatkilt Watt: String beans, carrots and potatoes cooked in a mild sauce of onions, garlic, ginger and Ethiopian spices.
Dinich Alicha: Potato cubes and carrots cooked in a mild sauce of onions, garlic, ginger and Ethiopian spices.

Along with eating the breads that are the base of the platter, everyone also gets their own plate of a giant flatbread to scoop up those delicious tasty blobs.

Overall, I’d say the first thing I thought of after my first bite was: “YUM! Whoa, mushy texture!” Everything is all stewed and so it’s all pretty gloopy, of course. Gotta be careful not to make too big of a mess. Luckily, Anna had her trust tide to-go stick!

All the different flavors were unique. Some had a nice spiced flavor while others were on the sweeter end.

I think my favorite of all the globs of “wat” and “alicha” would be the Yatkilt Watt. The different vegetables were extremely flavorful and cooked quite nicely, plus this wat had the most diverse textures. But all of us had different favorites!

To wash down our delicious meal, we also ordered a pot of Ethiopian tea which was a spicy chai-like tea. It was perfect to warm us up on this cold and rainy spring day after such a sunny and beautiful week.

It was so thrilling to get Ethiopian food for the first time! I definitely would go back sooner rather than later, but I am SO stuffed. I highly recommend checking this place out! Next time, I definitely want to try “tibs” – which is usually a meat dish, but Ethiopian Diamond had two kinds that were veggie friendly: one was stewed pumpkin and the other was a stewed tofu dish and both were calling my name!

Here’s my happy face as a result of my first bite:

Enough said!

Love,

Mimi

Sweet Potato Soup à la Goop

Hey, so, like Gywneth Paltrow’s last cookbook, I was on the waiting list at Monroe County Library just so that I can check it out and make fun of it. I was #18 on the list, and turns out it was so, so, totally worth it.  Look at how bad her hair looks. Anyway, the “cookbook” she “wrote” yielded a questionable number of  ”recipes,” many of which had very few ingredients, many of which were things I learned to make after school (elementary school) when my mom wasn’t home to make a snack. They were also super duper “healthy.” And yea, here at Soups & Roots & Rants, we love healthy food, but not so much to the point of counter-functionality. The things her “doctor” restricts her from eating, for example: “no coffee, no alcohol, no dairy, no eggs, no sugar, no shellfish, no deepwater fish, no potatoes, no tomatoes, no bell pepper, no eggplant, no corn, no wheat, no meat, no soy, nothing processed at all.” The fuck? No tomatoes? Like, what can you “eat” then? This is the woman who brought us the delight of the “Oyster Po-Boy” in her last cookbook (which, I would like point out, is not only really gross, but is an oxymoron, as oysters are super fucking expensive, and Po’Boy is short for “Poor Boy”).

Because of her inclination toward boring, healthy “foods” with very few “ingredients,” we got lots more wonderful things like this “recipe” for avocado on toast: Perhaps you’d like a hard-boiled egg? Well this NY Times best-selling author has got you covered. Or there’s also this really cool recipe for wet almonds.

They’re vegan. And unless you’ve forgotten how to make popcorn: Here’s Goop on a Vespa, next to a cheesecake recipe. Very relevant. Gweggs. Alright, now that I’m done (not completely done) railing on Goop, I’d like to disclose with you that I did not find her cookbook totally useless. My friends across the street were real sick, and this recipe for a spicy sweet potato soup really caught my eye. I have altered it a little bit because I didn’t want to use chipotle pepper (it takes over everything), and I also had some Ras-al-Hanout from London that I wanted to get rid of. You should be able to find it in the bulk section of your local organic grocery store. Less spicy, more sweet. 2 T. olive oil
1 large red onion
2 garlic cloves
5 sprigs of cilantro
3/4 t. cumin
1 t. Ras-el-Hanout (galangal, rose petals, black peppercorns, ginger, cardamom, nigella, cayenne, allspice, lavender, cinnamon, cassia, coriander seeds, mace, nutmeg, cloves)
coarse sea salt
1/2 t. chili powder
2 large sweet potatoes (peeled & diced)
6 cups vegetable broth

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot, and then add onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and a heavy pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables are softened, but not browned. Toss in the potatoes, chili powder, Ras-al-Hanout until the potatoes are evenly coated. Then pour in veggie broth and bring up to a boil. After it’s boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Once the potatoes are cooked, put it all in a blender. It’s all good. Serve with sour cream and a sprig of cilantro.

Gwyn is great at making recipes with 2 ingredients or less, but I here at Soups & Roots, we always try and bulk up our recipes to bring out the maximum spice level. Next time you’re cooking, think: What Would Gwyn Do? (WWGD) And then do the opposite of that.

Love, Fran

How to make a lattice crust

I am too lazy to type this out right now. Just follow the shitty pictures.

Need a pie crust recipe?

IMPORTANT PRELIMINARY NOTE, THOUGH: When you make a lattice crust, especially for apple pies, you put your fruit at risk of drying out in the oven. It is to your advantage to make the lattice as tightly woven as possible, with little fruit showing. Not like this. I made a second pie after this one with a TIGHT basket-weave and because of that, my apples were the moistest. Yea, I said it. Moistest.

1. Pull back.

2. Lay it across.

3. Vwah-la!

4. Pull back.

5. Alright, other side now.

6. Repeat!

7. Another layer.

8. Final Stretch.

9. Hell yeah.

10. Bake that guy right now yummerdoodle.

Blackberry Apple Pie

Okay, there was a sale on blackberries at Kroger (97 cents a carton!), so I stocked UP and then, typical me, I was stuck with tons of blackberries stocked up in my fridge.

1 pie crust
100 g golden caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
4 large granny smith apples, cored, peeled and each cut into wedges
150 g blackberries
2 T. honey
2 T. lemon juice
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
raw sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Toss apples in lemon juice. Then toss with blackberries, caster sugar, cinnamon, and honey.

Line your pie pan with the crust. Simple enough.

Line the bottom of the pie with apples.

Then fill the center with blackberries. Then more apples.

And more apples.

Make a lattice crust, if you’re feeling fancy. IMPORTANT NOTE, THOUGH: When you make a lattice crust, especially for apple pies, you put your fruit at risk of drying out in the oven. It is to your advantage to make the lattice as tightly woven as possible, with little fruit showing. Not like this. I made a second pie after this one with a TIGHT basket-weave and because of that, my apples were the moistest. Yea, I said it. Moistest.

Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes to an hour, until the crust is brown.

SERVE WITH ICE CREAM?

Cheesy Polenta and Vegetarian Bolognese

This is a dish that I have been dreaming about since Spring break. My family and I went to Cafe Bink in Carefree, AZ and my sister got this dish (Amy’s Bolognese), but with a real meat bolognese, of course. I knew that this was something I had to try to make myself! I’ve gotta say, it turned out AMAZING.

While, I have to say, these pictures aren’t the most appetizing, you’re just gonna have to take my word for it! Plus it was a pretty quick meal (by my standards, anyway)!

Cheesy Polenta
3/4 tube of Polenta, diced (I used the sun-dried tomato kind!)
1/2 c. Water
1/4 c. Heavy Cream
1/8 c. Grated Parmesan
1/8 c. Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bolognese
~7 oz. Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes (I used 1/4 of a 28 oz. can)
1 1/2 Tomatoes, rough chop/diced
1/2 Red Onion, rough chop/diced
1 T. Garlic, minced
10-12 oz. Soyrizo (Ground Fake Meat)*
1 T. Corn Starch
1 T. Soy sauce
Olive oil
2-3 T. Fresh Basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

*Keep in mind, when you are making the bolognese, not all veggie crumbles are created equal so you will have to be mindful! Some are extremely oil-y to compensate, while others require quite a bit of added oil. Some are bursting with flavor, while others need some tender loving care. I had some “Light Life” Sausages (Chorizo style) in my freezer so I blended it up in a food processor to make crumbles, but feel free to go buy pre-crumbled fake meat!

Start by making your bolognese! In a medium sized soup pot with some olive oil on medium-high heat, cook the onions and the garlic until the onions become translucent and it starts to become fragrant. Next add the veggie crumbles. If it starts to stick to the bottom of the pot, add more oil! Drizzle on some corn starch so that the crumbles are coated and then add some soy sauce and the basil! This just gives the dish a bit more flavor! You can season it as you like – maybe try some dashes of dried oregano?

Next throw in those diced tomatoes and the canned tomatoes. Bring the sauce up to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover it up! Occasionally check on it to stir, but it should be fine on its own!

Now, onto the polenta! In another medium sized soup pot, bring the 1/2 c. of water to a boil. Dice up the polenta pieces and toss them in!  With a whisk, start to break up the chunks and swirl it around! Then add the cream! Keep on mashing and whisking and soon the polenta will turn super creamy. Don’t fret, this takes a little while before all the pieces break down! Once the mixture starts to bubble and boil, reduce it down to a simmer. Yum yum! Mix in the two different cheeses! I used parmesan and pepper jack, but feel free to change that as well! Some people like fontina or goat cheese or sharp cheddar! And it’s all done!

Serve side by side and feel free to eat both separately or mix ‘em up! I am storing the leftovers in two separate containers that way I can eat the polenta and the bolognese together sometimes or I can throw the bolognese on some pasta later this week!

Jenny especially loved this dish at Cafe Bink because it reminded her of our childhood favorite, Chef Boyardee’s Beefaroni! It’s a great balance of cheesy and tomato-y. Don’t judge us. You know you loved Beefaroni!

This dish is perfect for a cold and rainy Spring night! It was made just in time for me to cozy up and.. write a paper.

Love,
Mimi

Ps. In just a few short hours, it is Francisco’s birthday! Happy Birthday Little Bear! I love you!