Polenta Pizza

I'm documenting this because I think it does work - it just didn't for me. The recipe is just what it says, a pizza crust made of polenta. And for me it inspires more classy toppings like tapenade, goat cheese, red peppers and olive oil and balsamic glaze. There's mushrooms involved in there too. This is not a three-meat pan pizza special with a side of chicken wingz and chocolate dipperz.

The crust is delicate though. It is not a pizza you can eat with your hands, it is definitely a 'fork' pizza. And at the end of the day, I kind of thought it wasn't really necessary to make the polenta into a crust - it could just be a bowl of polenta (or slices) with all of the toppings piled on. The crust gets a little crispy the the oven, but not much.

Or maybe I'm lazy, or maybe I'm weary of 830802485034875209 days of winter.

But, I'm glad I tried it and while it's not very pretty, it was delicious. And it's gluten-free and stuff. The recipe is here, from Macheesmo.

Short Rib & Sausage Ragu

 

I've wanted to cook with short ribs for some time now, and finally had an opportunity this week. They were on sale at Publix and I found a delicious recipe. But of course I made some changes.

I used a recipe from Serious Eats, Cheesy Short Rib and Sausage Lasagna Soup. But I wanted more of a sauce that I could put over pasta or polenta. So I omitted 5 cups of chicken broth. Other than that, I followed the directions, except I added diced carrots (a la bolognese) and 1 tablespoon of sugar.

 

It turned out well! I cooked it for 2 hours (I love my Lodge pot :) and then removed the bay leaves and bones and shredded the meat back into the sauce. After cooking short rib meat has a pot roast consistency, tender but with some chewiness. I skimmed the fat off and brought it back to a boil before serving with ricotta and shredded cheeses. In hindsight, it would be easier to prepare this a day before, and remove the fat after it's been refrigerated. But it all worked out and it was delicious and spicy and warm. I like this recipe - it would be easy to add some mushrooms, or use it in an actual lasagna. 

Short ribs FTW!

 

 

The obligatory artsy-filtered picture.

Beer Batter Bread (with a side of White Chicken Chili)

When I try a new recipe it's usually from a blog, so there are usually pictures, that in my mind, represent how my finished product should look.

My finished products usually don't look like those on the blog. For example, this White Chicken Chili. Which tastes delicious - it was perfect, in my opinion. It was a little spicy and quite tasty, full of jalapenos, chilis, and corn and I added some lime juice and cilantro. But it's not very pretty. And it didn't thicken up as much as I would have liked, but actually it was probably just as close in consistency as red chili. So maybe it's fine. Either way, the main star of this post now is what was the side to my chili, Beer Batter Bread.

I was immediately drawn to this recipe because I am not a baker. Yeast and I are mortal enemies, and nothing I have baked using yeast has turned out. Ever. This bread sounded simple enough: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, beer. I used Blue Moon, a belgian-style wheat ale. And it did turn out - but, next time I would up the salt to 2 teaspoons. It was a little floury and bland for me. I'm not sure exactly how much influence the beer has, so I wonder how different flavors and styles of beer would work. But that is an experiment I don't mind repeating.

Beer Batter Bread
from Tracy's Culinary Adventures

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12 oz) bottle beer, at room temperature and unopened
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together until combined. Open the beer and immediately pour it all into the bowl with the dry ingredients (there will be lots of foam). Stir the batter with a spoon or spatula until it just comes together.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading it into an even layer. Drizzle the melted butter over the top of the batter. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow the bread to cool for 5 minutes before turning it out of the pan.

<-----the meh-looking, super-delicious 

White Chicken Chili (from the Kitchn)