Last Supper

Tonight is my last night in beautiful downtown Potomac, so I made a Polenta "lasagna". Seemed like a good night for it, since it's been cold and rainy all day. It came out quite well, and may even make its way back to the table (even though leftovers are frowned upon in this house...) Here is my recipe:

Polenta "Lasagna"

1 1/2 cups Polenta
6 cups water
1 tbsp salt
1 cup tomato sauce (recipe follows)
1 cup ragu (recipe follows)
Parmigiano Reggiano (for sprinkling on top)
about 1 tbsp olive oil

• Boil water and add salt. With a whisk, form a whirlpool and slowly pour polenta into the middle, stirring constantly. As soon as it comes back up to a bubble, turn heat down to a low simmer, and continue to stir occasionally for about 20-25 minutes, till polenta is cooked. (it should be tender to the bite).
• Meanwhile, butter a square baking dish and preheat oven to 375.
• When polenta is cooked, spread about 1/3 in the bottom of the baking dish.
• Spread tomato sauce over polenta.
• Spread second third of polenta over sauce.
• Spread ragu over polenta.
• Top with remaining polenta, parmigiano, and drizzle with olive oil.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling. Let rest for 10 minutes and serve.

This is a fairly quick dish to make if you have the sauces prepared ahead of time. I almost always have some in the freezer, as these both freeze very well. If you don't have the ragu, and don't have time to make it, you can double the amount of tomato sauce and add some crumbled sausage to it. If you're in a real bind, you can buy a jar of sauce, but it's just as easy to make it while the polenta cooks (that's what I did tonight!)

Quick Tomato Sauce:

1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes (these are tomatoes that are grown in the south of Italy, but if you can't find them, any canned plum tomatoes will do)
salt & pepper to taste plus any dried herbs on hand such as oregano and basil.

• Heat oil, add onion and garlic, and saute till soft, about 5 minutes.
• Put tomatoes through a food mill into the pan (including any liquid from the can).
• Season with salt, pepper and herbs and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Ragu a la Bolognese:

1 onion, very finely diced
1 carrot, very finely diced
1 rib of celery, very finely diced
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
3/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste

• Melt butter in a large sauce pan, add onion, carrot and celery. Season with a bit of salt and saute till soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add ground meat to pan and cook till no longer pink, breaking up with a wooden spoon (do not brown).
• Add wine and cook till evaporated.
• Stir in tomato paste until well combined, then add about 1/4 cup of the stock.
• Cook covered for about 1 1/2 hours over a very low heat (just simmering), adding stock a little at a time. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add cream and heat through (if you are planning to freeze the sauce, omit the cream and add it when you re-heat).

My first post - Happy 2009!

As I finish out week one of my visit at my parents' house in the suburbs of Washington, DC, I have decided to start a blog. Seems like the thing to do on this first day of 2009. New year, new beginnings, new projects, etc. I have taken the opportunity over this past week to cook every day, something that I rarely have time to do in my real life. Dishes have included my first encounter with crepes (much easier than I expected, but then again, I had my mom by my side showing me how...and taking photos),

a wonderful stuffed pork tenderloin and fennel puree (still working out the kinks of the puree - it was a bit thin), and a New Year's Eve lasagna.

Today is gnocchi w/ cognac cream sauce w/ spinach. Here is the recipe for the gnocchi:

3 large potatoes (I use baking potatoes)

1 large egg (lightly beaten)

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp pepper (use white pepper if you don't want the black spots to show)

1 1/2 to 2 cups all purpose flour

Fill a large pot with cold water. Add unpeeled potatoes and bring to boil. Cook till tender. Drain and cool till you can handle, and then peel. Put through a food mill or ricer, and allow to cool completely. Once cool, form a mound and make a well in the center. Put egg, salt and pepper into center of well and stir into the potatoes. Once combined, add flour a little at a time until you have a nice dough (it will still be a little sticky, which is ok because more flour will be incorporated as you roll them out). Knead with your hands for another 3 minutes or so Do not overwork or add too much flour or dough will become heavy.

Cut dough into about 8 sections and on a well floured surface, roll each one out into a 1/2" thick log and slice into 1/2" sections. Roll each little section onto the tines of a fork, making an indentation with your thumb as you roll. You may need to dust the fork with flour so that the gnocchi don't stick to it, and also keep your hands well floured. Spread gnocchi out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper that has been sprinkled with a little flour.

At this point, gnocchi can be frozen on the cookie sheet and then transferred to a freezer bag once frozen.

If you are cooking them right away, bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add a good amount of salt, as if you were cooking pasta. Drop about 1/2 of the gnocchi in and stir immediately to make sure they don't stick. After about 2-3 minutes, they will begin to rise to the surface. Cook for about 1 more minute after this happens. Once they have been floating on the surface for about 1 minute, fish them out with a spider or large slotted spoon. Put on a plate with a little butter and cover to keep warm while you cook the 2nd 1/2.

Serves 4-6 (refrigerate any leftovers [without sauce] and serve for lunch the next day sauteed in a little butter until just golden brown)

Cognac Cream Sauce w/ Spinach:

2-3 shallots, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup cognac

1/2 cup heavy cream

3-4 handfulls of baby spinach, well washed and dried
Salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add shallots and garlic and saute till soft, 2-3 minutes. Add cognac and reduce. Add cream, salt and pepper and let it come to a simmer. Cook very gently for about 5 minutes. (you can be cooking the gnocchi while the sauce cooks) Add the spinach, which will wilt down in about a minute. Once the gnocchi are plated, spoon sauce over and serve with parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

Serves about 4