Sunday Paper, Sunday Supper!

Having to work every other weekend does have it's advantages in my job.. although nothing would beat having every weekend off! Anyway, today was a pretty low-key day for the residents at the house; some of us hung out in the kitchen, reading the Sunday paper, sharing our horoscope, and offering opinions on various news items. Individuals who are diagnosed with a severe mental illness such as Schizophrenia, or Bipolar disorder sometimes experience difficulty in social interactions, and situations; it is an aspect of mental illness that can have a significant impact on one's way of life. Because of this common sympton, I try to encourage any sort of activity such as reading and sharing the newspaper with the residents because it enhances social skills in a natural setting. This is a long preamble to dinner, I know... Anyway, while reading the paper I came across this recipe for Marinated Grilled Steak on Grilled Polenta. What a strange combination! I wouldn't have ever thought of this one! On impulse, I texted Thom to defrost some steak I had in the fridge, and I would pick up some ready-made polenta on the way home. This meal was pretty quick and easy to prep.. in fact I didn't bother with the marinade in the recipe, mainly because it is nearly identical to my home-made oil/vinegar salad dressing that I keep on hand, so I had Thom use that. You could probably use a good store bought oil/balsamic vinaigrette dressing too! Otherwise, I made the recipe as directed.. and let me tell you, with a fresh green salad to accompany it, this was a super Sunday Supper, right out of the Sunday Paper!! Enjoy! (AP Photos/Larry Crowe)

The recipe calls for slicing a tube of prepared polenta into rounds, then brushing them with oil and briefly grilling them. Strips of steak then are piled onto each round and topped with sour cream blended with chives and shallot.

GRILLED SIRLOIN WITH POLENTA AND SOUR CREAM

Start to finish: Approx 45 mins (Including marinade time) Servings: 4

For the steak:

1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 cloves garlic 1
1/4 pounds sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and very thinly sliced (I used 'london broil' shoulder steak, cheaper and just as tasty)

For the polenta:

18-ounce tube prepared polenta
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
Garlic powder

For the sour cream:

1 cup sour cream (I use Light or Fat-free)
1 shallot finely minced
1 TBSP chopped chives

In a blender, combine the oil, vinegar, salt, peppercorns and garlic. Puree until smooth, then pour into a stainless steel or other non-reactive bowl. Add the steak, mixing gently to coat, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the polenta into 8 slices. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat both sides of each slice with oil. Sprinkle both sides of each slice with a bit of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Set aside until the steak is ready to grill.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, shallot and chives. Set aside.

Heat the grill to medium-high. Coat the racks with cooking spray or oil.

Grill the polenta slices for 3 minutes per side, or until bold grill marks appear. Use a spatula to carefully transfer the slices to serving plates.

Grill the steak for 1 minute per side. Mound 1 or 2 slices on top of each polenta round. Top each with a dollop of sour cream.

For an alternative, cut that same tube of polenta into bite-size chunks. Toss the chunks in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of milk and a bit of grated Parmesan cheese. Heat and stir until smooth and creamy. Spoon some of the soft polenta onto serving plates, then top with steak and a dollop of sour cream. I am going to try this version next time, but the original version was YUMMY~!!