I love salad. I love steak. But seriously, with all the steak salad recipes over the years, I have never really felt like they were a good match... I mean, why would you want to mess up with a perfectly good, cool, crisp salad with hot meat? and vice-versa, right? Until last night. I found a recipe, that for some reason appealed to me! Maybe it was the yummy Garlic Crostini Bread that was served with it... or just the odd appeal of a poached egg on the salad, along side the steak.. whatever. As usual, it's a Rachel Ray recipe, and I have to say, we *LOVED* it. And, it's freaking easy!! And, Valerie *also* loved it, with a nice grilled fillet of haddock (although she thinks it would *really* rock with a nice salmon filet instead!) So, here's to trying something completely different! (just click on the link)
I can't remember where I got the inspiration for this recipe, but Thom says it's the "M & M's" version! What does that mean? Well, I have this habit of substituting ingredients when I don't have the called-for ingredient on hand. Sometimes I make so many substitutions in a recipe, that the result doesn't bear much resemblance to the original! The first time I did this, Thom joked and said "Oh, I see.. you didn't have paprika so you used red M&M's!" (eye-roll.... *whatever*!)
Cathy's version of Mushroom, Artichoke, and Polenta Lasagna! :)
Serves 8 ~ Pre-heat oven to 375
1 med onion, halved and thinly sliced cross-wise
16 oz mushrooms (your choice as to variety/type), stems removed, caps thinly sliced. ( I used a 10oz pkg of mushrooms, and added 1 can of artichoke hearts (NOT the marinated kind) that I coarsely chopped.
2 cloves garlic minced
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp evaporated milk
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cheese (original recipe called for cream cheese, but I didn't have any, so I used oka.. but I bet even laughing cow would be good!)
Cook onion in large non-stick skillet coated with vegetable spray, (I used a good-sized knob of butter) Cook over med-high heat, stirring often. Add all mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and garlic, continue to cook and stir until onions are wilted and mushrooms are soft. Add the milk, bring it to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
Mix the cornstarch with the remaining milk, and stir into mushroom mixture. Add cheese, and wine, cook stirring 1-3 minutes until smooth and blended. Remove from heat, add salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Coat 10x10" baking dish/casserole with cooking spray. Spread about 3 Tbsp of the mushroom sauce in the bottom of the dish. Layer 1/3 of the polenta slices over the sauce. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese over the polenta. Top with half of the remaining mushroom sauce, layer with 1/3 of the polenta slices, and remaining sauce, and a final layer of the polenta. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes or so, until bubbly. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan, and run it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to lightly brown the cheese. Finally, remove it from the oven, cover loosely with some tin foil, and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Yummmm!!!!
So, Thom was idly looking thru one of my Canadian Living Magazines (My mom has been gifting me with a subscription for the past 20 years, love it!) Lo and behold he came across an awesome curry recipe. By the way did I mention my man *Loves* curry? He'd eat curried ice cream I bet! Anyway, the original recipe calls for lean steak, which is pretty darned yummy. But, I've also discovered it goes very well with Shrimp and Chicken... and... because my daughter Valerie is vegetarian, and Thom and I are almostavegatarians... (LOL) I had to try it with cooked lentils.. and mmmmmm mmmmmm! So here it is, without any further ado:
All-purpose-Goes-With-Anything-Super-Yummy-Curry!
(P.S. I recommend making a huge batch and putting some in the freezer!)
Put into a food processer: 1 med chunked onion 4 chili peppers (ur choice, I use jalapeno) seeded and chunked (leave seeds if you like it super hot!) 1 handful of fresh cilantro 1 thumbsized piece of fresh ginger, chunked. 2-3 cloves of garlic.
Process until it reaches a paste consistency.
2 Tbsp. good curry powder
4 tomatoes chopped
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp garam masala powder
Drizzle about 2tbsp oil in a hot pan, add the paste, and the curry powder, and cook, as it thickens drizzle in 1/3 cup water a bit at a time. Once the water is in, and it's pasty, add your protein (1-1 1/2 lbs of steak, sliced, or raw chicken, cut up, or raw, peeled shrimp or fish, or for lentils about 3 cups cooked). Let that simmer a bit, and then add the tomatoes and yogurt, cook until they are soft. Add the garam masala, and maybe a few more sprigs of cilantro for garnish. I swear, I could make this every night and Thom would *never* get tired of it!!! :) I am going to make a double or triple batch of the paste and throw it in my freezer. Now *that* will be convenience food, eh?
I love Rachel Ray.. she's got some fabulous and quick meals that really rock! Take tonight's example, a really refreshing take on grilled pork chops. A simple chili pepper rub to wake 'em up, and to go with a simple black bean salad topped with grilled avacado (I'd *never* think of that and boy was it tasty!!!) Even on a not-so-nice day like today was (rainy, cool) the dish was simple to make indoors, using my fave cast-iron grill pan. BTW, in my opinion, you simply cannot beat cast iron cookware! (If only it wasn't so darned heavy!!) Bon Appetit!
How busy could I get! Well, I guess about 9 months worth, as that is how long it's been since I've posted. That isn't to say I haven't been cooking (and sharing) some tasty stuff... but I'm hoping to be more regular in posting here!! If you like what you see here, or enjoy the recipes, please forward/pass along/share the link to my blog! :)
Here's a preview of what's to come: Our latest fave, a stir-fry curry that works with just about any protein you can think of, and what's even better, it can be FROZEN!!! :) Also, a great fast dessert that I have had great feedback as well, and lastly, a recipe from a very dear friend who goes back many many years!! So, stay tuned!
