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Last night I went over to my friends new place: high ceilings, hardwood floors, poured concrete countertops and a big old Viking gas range. So dreamy. The plan was to cook dinner together and I ended up taking charge, big surprise. Frankly, the results were delicious. Mickie took photos with her film camera and I was too immersed in the process to remember to snap any of my own shots, so this post will be photo free, so feel free to use your imagination.
Polenta Griddle Cakes with Carmelized Onions and Sautéed Red Chard
Roasted Portobella Mushroom Caps with Sherry and Soy
Carrot and Taragon Salad with Toasted Pecans and Coconut Flakes
First carmelize about 4 medium-sized yellow onions. This always takes longer then I anticipate though the results are always divine.
Carrot Salad:
Grate a 2 pound bag of washed carrots (I never bother to peel them and food processor makes this step a cinch)
Coarsely chop up about 2 Tablespoons of fresh Tarragon
Dressing: I eyeballed a balanced blend of soy sauce, agave nectar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper
Toast some pecan bits and unsweetened coconut flakes
Toss carrots, tarragon, dressing and toasty bits together.
Roasted Portobellas:
Clean and de-stem 4 generously sized Portobello mushroom caps. In a baking dish or a cookie sheet with a lip drizzle about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and 1 Tablespoon cooking sherry. Place mushrooms gills down and drizzle the tops with a bit more olive oil, soy sauce, S & P. Roast at 400 degrees until juicy, about 15 minutes. Let them rest for a moment and then slice into 1/2 strips.
Sautéed Chard:
Rough chop chard, including the stem. Sautee in olive oil with a bit of red wine vinegar and a pinch of salt until they have wilted down to about a 1/4 of their original volume.
For the Polenta Griddle Cakes:
3 cups polenta
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Sweet (I used Agave, honey would be good too, even cane sugar)
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 cups Soy Milk or other milk alternative
3/4 cup canola oil (or vegetable or olive or anything)
In a large batter bowl whisk together the dry parts. Make a well (because it’s fun to make wells) and beat in the wet parts. The goal is to have a heavy batter that can be poured into pancake shapes onto a well oiled and very hot griddle. The consistency should be in between a biscuit dough and cake batter so add more liquid and or polenta depending. Use about a 1/2 a cup of batter per cake. Cook just like a pancake and until each side is a perfect golden brown. I had to oil my pan after each batch.
Plate dinner with 2 cakes piled high with onions and chard, a heaping helping of carrot salad and the portabella strips. It’s pretty delish. It’s also nice combined with good wine, good friends and funny old photos.
