Yikes - behind already!

It's been 3 days since my last post... sounds like a confession.  Hard to fit everything in to my oh-so-busy schedule.  That's just another way of saying I got distracted.  So, I'll back up to Monday night, and a very simple, easy, satisfying dinner.  Americans generally think of eggs just for breakfast, but a frittata is a hearty dish that can easily be a meal in itself, accompanied by some good bread and a salad.  Super easy, and a great way to use up veggies that are lurking in your produce bin, waiting to be eaten.  Add anything you like - this is what I happened to have on hand.

Zucchini Frittata

Olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
2 wild boar sausages (or any other sausage you like / have on hand)
1 zucchini, cut into smallish cubes
8 eggs
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano
salt 

• Preheat oven to 375 (360 convection)
• Saute onion, fennel, and crumbled sausage in a bit of olive oil (about 1 tbsp) till veggies are beginning to soften and sausage is browned. (season with a bit of salt) Add zucchini and cook for another few minutes.

Frittata filling

• Meanwhile, beat eggs, about 1-2 tbsp of water, salt, and parm in a bowl.
• Add cooked veggie mixture to the eggs and stir to combine.
• Put a little more olive oil in the pan, and add egg mixture.
• Cook on medium heat till the bottom has started to brown and pull away from the edges of the pan.
• Place in oven and continue to cook for about 8-10 minutes, till eggs are set.

Saddle of Rabbit with Herb Polenta

Once again, we got to have a meal without buying any groceries - imagine that!  I've only been to the store once all week.  I always tell people, if there's a natural disaster (or the zombie apocalypse), come to my parents house, where there is enough food to feed an army!  We were going to have this rabbit last night, but it was still frozen, so we had some store-bought ravioli that were in the fridge with butter and sage.  By tonight, the bunnies were thawed, so we made them.  Well, mostly my mom did the rabbit, and I did the polenta.  When I was in Italy one time, about 8 years ago maybe, I bought a copper polenta pot that has a stirrer attachment.  I had to buy a converter, since Italy is on a different electrical current, but it works beautifully.  Unfortunately, that is at my house. Here, I had to stir the polenta by hand.  This is how Italian women get their muscles.  Not for the weak, but so worth the effort.  According to my mom, this is a special polenta, although I have no idea what brand it is, as it was in a glass jar in her fridge.  No, you don't have to keep polenta in the fridge, but she does.  I think it is because she is afraid of bugs getting into it - you'd have to ask her.  And I'm sure she'll comment after I post this.

For the rabbit:

3 saddles of rabbit
3-4 tbsp butter
1 sprig rosemary
salt
pepper
marsala
white wine

• Preheat the oven to 380 convection (about 395 regular)
• Place the rabbit in a baking dish.  Sprinkle the rabbit with salt and pepper, dot with butter, and put some of the rosemary on each piece.

Rabbit ready to go into the oven

• Pour some marsala (about 1/2 cup - mom, correct me if this is wrong... we don't really measure) and white wine (same amount) over and around the rabbit.
• Cook for about 45 minutes, until rabbit is done and nicely browned.

For the polenta:

1 cup polenta

4 cups water or stock

salt

1 sprig thyme

1 sprig rosemary

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano

• Heat the water or stock in a pot till boiling.  Add some salt (start with about 1 tbsp).  Make a whirlpool in the water with a whisk and slowly stir in the polenta (this is so that you don't get any lumps).  Switch to a wooden spoon and stir.  As it comes back to a boil, turn the heat down so that you have a constant very low simmer - you should see some bubbles come up, but not too many.  It will begin to thicken after just a few minutes.  Continue to stir.  And stir.  And stir.  You may stir slowly, but you want to keep the polenta moving at least a bit.  Taste it and adjust the salt if needed.

The polenta at the beginning

• Meanwhile, add the herbs, smashed garlic, and cream to a small pan and heat slowly.

herbs and garlic, ready for cream

• After you have been stirring for about 35 minutes, taste for doneness.  It should be smooth and creamy.  At this point, remove from heat and strain the cream into the polenta, discarding the herbs and garlic.  Add the cheese and stir together.

Finished polenta

Serve immediately.  Any leftovers can be turned into a number of delicious dishes.  I like to spread it out into a thin layer, refrigerate, and then fry wedges in a pan.  Or, as mom just suggested since we have a lot left, use it for a polenta lasagna.  I will post that recipe when we make it.  Basically, I take thin layers of cooked polenta and alternate it with tomato sauce and meat sauce, and top it with parm.  Another great winter meal!

Soup!

One of my favorite soups to make on a rainy day is Julia Child's Soup a la Victorine.  However, Julia's version has a lot of extra steps that I tend to cut down, and my result is a really yummy, easy, and relatively quick soup.  Once again, everything I needed was in the house already.  Except for the eggplant.  But there was frozen Wild Boar sausage from D'Artagnan, one of my favorites!  Normally, I use regular Italian sausage, which is just as good, but if there's wild boar around, I'll use that instead.  Or, for a lighter meal, I skip it all together.  I had to run out to Walgreens anyway to pick up my cold medicine, so I went to Whole Foods too.  And, I'm glad I did because I found what might be one of the last bags of white chocolate covered, peppermint encrusted, pretzel chips of the season!!

Once again, I digress.... but see how pretty?  Anyway, I came home and started on the soup.  The great thing about this, is that it makes a big pot, enough for 6 people, and since I'm cooking for only 3, we have leftovers to freeze for a day that I don't feel like cooking.  However, there is NO p-touch in this house.  Can you believe it?  My mother has yet to discover the wonders of labeling everything in sight.  I feel that might change once she reads this.  Or maybe I'll buy one for her.  For now, a piece of masking tape with "soup" written on it will have to do for marking the jars that are about to go in the freezer.



½ lb. Italian sausage
2 cups combination of sliced leeks and onions, or onions only, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced or mashed
olive oil 
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon sage
4 jars Borlotti Italian beans, drained and rinsed
3-4 cups chicken stock
A firm, shiny, 1 lb. eggplant (about 8 inches long and about 3 ½ inches at widest diameter 
1 can San Marzano tomatoes, chopped
salt
pepper

• Brown the sausage in a bit of olive oil in a soup pot.  When mostly cooked, remove from pot and slice into rounds.  Brown those a bit.  Remove them to a plate.

browning sausage - yum!

• If there is a lot of fat from your sausage, drain some of it.  If there is not a lot, add some oil to the pan.  Sprinkle the leeks and onions with salt and cook slowly until tender and translucent.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add the beans, herbs, and stock to cover.  Bring to the simmer, partially cover the pan, and cook slowly for 1/2 hour or until the beans are tender. (Stir frequently).  Sometimes, I will use dried cranberry beans and cook the soup in my pressure cooker.  Both ways are equally delicious, and it just depends on what I I have on hand. 

simmering it all together

• Sauté the sausage in a separate pan, slice, and reserve.
• Peel the eggplant and cut into ½ inch dice.  Sauté in some olive oil pan till lightly brown.
• Purée the soup in a food mill, and add the sausage, eggplant, and tomatoes and some of their juice to the pan.
• Simmer 10-15 minutes
• Serve with a drizzle of good finishing oil.