2 in a row worth mentioning! Polenta in the oven

years ago I did a polenta in the oven that brought out the flavor of the corn without spending 45 minutes at the stove stirring. 4 cups H2O stirring in 1 cup polenta. Oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour; stirring every 15 minutes. Stir in salt and olive oil.

Tomato sauce: 2 large cans of tomatoes chopped, 1 onion cut in half, olive oil, chopped carrot. Cook for 45 minutes and then puree half of it in the blender after discarding onion. Classic Marcella.

Grilled pork chops: charcoal, dry marinade for 30 minutes with sel, poivre, za'atyr, garlic.

Did not overcook them--rare event--sliced thin and served with Goodies' secret green sauce (except for Aiyana). Excellent.

Drank a Tempranillo from Mendoza: La Finca, from TJ's. $3.99. Incredible everyday wine. Even Jen thought so but I would not tell her the price until she tried it. I would buy a casae of of La Finca in a heart beat, except for those 20 miles of ocean separating us from the mainland.

Christmas Dinner: Quail!

Got 6 quail, frozen, from Goodies, Lebanese store in Seattle. Quail came all the way from Georgia, and were amazing. Ate all their little bones, even Aiyana.

Quail: sel et poivre and a little za'atar. Grill over hot coals. Served with rapini sauteed with sweet potatoes. Quail were amazing. Drank with TJ's spiral napa cabernet-a great deal at 4.99. Now just need to figure out how to shoot those little birds on the island!

Tortilla Soup

Pinto Beans
Can Tomatoes chopped
Onion
pork or chicken
garlic
corn tortillas


Saute onion (used coconut oil), add cubed pork, white wine, then tomatoes, beans (with some beans and soup with large garlic clove in blender), tortilla strips tossed with oil and salt in oven at 375. Serve with avocado and squeeze lime on it with rooster sauce on top. Great on a cold night. Oops. I forgot that I added some corn for color and sweetness.

Indian Dinner

Been way too long since we made Indian Food. Jen is having to stay off gluten, so it seemed like a good thing to get back into. 4 of us plus two friends--enough for 6 real eaters (Aiyana did not have much) but we finished the Dahl.

Menu:

Pink Lentil Dal

Brown Basmati Rice

Popped Black mustard seeds with Napa Cabbage

Mango Chutney with lime and grapefruit

Besan pancakes with cilantro, onions, arugula

Coconut Bliss ice cream

Dal: 1 cup lentils and 4 cups water. Could have used a bit less water. Started with sautéing garam masala, ginger, and cinnamon. About 20 minutes

Besan: 1 cup chickpea flour, whisked in water to get a bit thin, and let rest for 30 minutes. Then added fresh tarragon, basil, cilantro and the arugula. Sauté with little oil in big cast iron in two batches.

Cabbage: Maybe a different winter green would have been better. Popped about 1Tbs of black mustard seeds in some oil and then added cabbage.

Chutney: 1 Tbs oil, garam masala, ginger, diced mango, sugar, lime and grape fruit juice. 30 minutes.