Weeknight Paella

 I'm back, for this week anyway.
This is a quick recipe you can make during the week, it is not a true paella, but it has the flavors of paella. A great way to use up leftover rice and meats. The great thing about paellas is that you can use just about any meat, seafood or you can even do vegetable versions.

Weeknight Paella
2 spicy sausages, cut into 1/2 inch coins I used hot Italian Chorizo would be good
1 cod fillet, cut into bite sized pieces or any firm white fish
1 ham steak, cut into bite size pieces
12 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 to 1 1/2 cup cooked rice
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
2/3 cup peas, frozen
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 pinch crushed red pepper
1 pinch of saffron, optional
1 large clove of garlic, minced
2 tbs olive oil
Parsley for garnish, I also used some saffron threads for the pictures

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle the saffron threads on the tomatoes, this will soften them and let the flavors combine. If you don't let the saffron bloom in liquid it will be stringy and the flavor doesn't develop. Add sausage and ham. Cook until they start to take on color then add the fish. Add the rice, tomatoes, garlic, smoked paprika and pepper. When the rice is warmed through add the shrimp. When the shrimp takes on color add the peas. Cook until peas are heated through.

Place on plate/bowl and garnish with parsley.

Mussels

Ok this makes the third week I've posted a Fathers Day recipe. This one was the winner, the one I celebrated Father's Day with. This was one of those recipes that I made up as I went along so measurements are estimates. The mussels are cooked in a wine and tomato broth. A love a big bowl of mussels all open and ready to be eaten. Open mussels remind me of venus flytraps, I am just waiting for one to grab my fork as I go to pull the meat out.
Note: You should make about 1/2 to 3/4 pound of mussels per person. The recipe below is for 2 people. Clean and de-beard mussels. If any mussels are open and won't close when pinched throw them out. After cooking watch for any mussels that don't open and discard. I like the spice of chorizo sausage any spicy sausage will work. Today I had a kielbasa sausage, which is mild. I added 1/8 tsp of crushed red pepper to the onions and garlic when I added that to give me the kick I wanted.
Mussels
1 chorizo sausage, cut into bite size pieces
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 coves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper if using see note
2/3 cup white wine, I used Pinot Grigio
1/3 cup crushed tomato from can
1 tomato, diced
1 1/2 pounds Mussels

Heat large skillet to medium high. Add oil and the sausage and cook until it starts to brown. If using full fat sausage you might be able to cook sausage without oil, then add oil with onions. Then add onions, garlic and red pepper (if using). Cook onion mixture until onions are soft. When onions are soft add the crushed tomato and wine. When wine and tomato start to bubble add the tomato, shrimp and mussels. Cook until the shrimp are cooked through and the mussels are open. If you got good mussels most will open in under 5 minutes. Arrange mussels in bowl. then pour sauce and other goodies (tomatoes, sausage and shrimp) over the mussels. Garnish with parsley.

  

Grilled Polenta Cakes

Now that May is here it is time for weddings, graduations and Air Force inductions. Well ok most of you don't have any Air Force inductions coming up, but we do. My son, Joel, is graduating from college and getting inducted into the Air Force. If you have been reading my blog for awhile you might remember that he already completed 4 years in the Marines, but that wasn't good enough for him he decided he wanted to be a pilot. So he is going into the Air Force now to become a pilot. We also have a wedding coming up. So in the next couple of weeks my posts maybe kind of sporadic. In the meantime enjoy this appetizer that is consistently one of my most viewed recipes.


Grilled Polenta Cakes with Bruschetta Topping

Tomato Topping
2 tomatoes, cut into a small dice
2 tbs Kalamata olives, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 basil leaves, cut into fine ribbons

Add all ingredients to a bowl and drizzle with enough olive oil to coat thourghly coat the mixture.

Polenta Cakes
Make polenta according to the package or your regular method. Then pour it into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, that has been sprayed with no-stick spray. Let the polenta cool for a few minutes and then refrigerate so it will firm up. After polenta has firmed up use a 2 1/2 to 3 inch cookie cutter or a glass with an equivalent opening to cut out the cakes.
Preheat the grill to medium high.
Take the polenta cakes and put them on a well oiled grill, to prevent them from sticking. Cook until polenta has good grill marks and then flip them over and cook until you get the grill marks again.
Top each polenta cake with the tomato mixture.

Running and Wedgies

Well this weekend I ran my first 10K race, in fact this was my first attempt at any organized sport. I never participated in sports when I was in school. The 10K was the Ukrop's Monument Ave. 10K run in Richmond VA. My oldest daughter, Lynn, originally decided to run the race and invited me to join her. I accepted and my youngest daughter, Ashlyn, decided she wanted to run as well. Ashlyn and Lynn finished in the times they expected, but I beat my personal best time by eight minutes. Lynn was the backbone of our team. She made hotel arrangements for us, made T-shirts for us, made sure we got the race packages and feed us after the race. Richmond is the home of VCU, who was in the NCAA Final Four, so after the race she went home and cooked for not just our family but several friends as well as we cheered VCU on. Unfortunately VCU didn't fair as well as we did in the race. Thanks Lynn for making this weekend such a fun time and for making me challenge myself by running farther and faster than I have before. I appreciate all of your efforts.

The wedgies have nothing to do with the running, but pertain to potatoes cut into 8 wedges. This recipe was inspired from a Spanish Tapas recipe. There is also a dipping sauce for them.

Potato Wedgies with Dip
Potatoes:
3 pounds Potatoes, cut into 8 wedges (the long way, if you have larger potatoes you can cut into more than 8 pieces)
2 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Dip:
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
pinch of salt
1/4 cup mayo, I used low fat
1/4 cup sour cream, I used low fat
Smoked paprika to taste

Potatoes:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While oven is preheating cut potatoes into wedges and place in a bowl. Add olive oil and salt and pepper and stir to evenly coat the potatoes. Spread the potatoes out evenly on a cookie sheet and cook for about 25 minutes. They should be soft and brown spots will begin to appear. Remove when done and let cool.

Dip:
While the potatoes are cooking you can make the dip. Mince the garlic and add salt to it. Mash the salt into the garlic until it forms a paste. Place mayo and sour cream in a bowl, then add the garlic paste to it. Mix in the smoked paprika, until you get the desired taste. Since smoked paprika seems to come in different strengths I suggest adding a teaspoon at a time and tasting until you get a flavor you like.

I sprinkled a little parsley on the potatoes so they looked good on the platter.

Grilled Polenta Cakes with Bruschetta Topping

My brother, Bob, came to visit me this past weekend. He wanted me to recreate the dinner that I blogged about when I went to Paula's from Bell' Alimento for a cooking lesson. Now what do you do with leftover polenta cakes? I narrowed my options down to grilling them or putting frosting on them setting them on a paper plate and leaving them in the break room at work. The second would have been funnier but I am glad I went with the first. I think my co-workers are glad I opted for the first option as well.

Grilled Polenta Cakes with Bruschetta Topping

Tomato Topping
2 tomatoes, cut into a small dice
2 tbs Kalamata olives, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 basil leaves, cut into fine ribbons
Olive oil to cover the mixture

Polenta Cakes
Preheat the grill to medium high.
Make a batch of Paula's Polenta Cakes right up to the point where you you get the saute pan.
Take the polenta cakes and put them on a well oiled grill, to prevent them from sticking. Cook until polenta has good grill marks and then flip and repeat.
Top each polenta cake with the tomato mixture.

Garlic Basil Shrimp

I got a new cook book, So Easy by Ellie Krieger, and I had to test it out. Well, I kind of tried it out. I tweaked the recipe to make it work for 2 people and added ingredients. Recipes are just guidelines anyway

Garlic Basil Shrimp

1 tbs olive oil
3/4 lb Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup asparagus, chopped into 1/4" pieces
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, or adjust to your taste
3/4 cup tomato, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/8 cup basil, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup cooked small pasta, like orzo

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes until they are just cooked through. Remove the shrimp and set them aside.


Add the red pepper flakes and garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 to 45 seconds. Add the asparagus and cook for 1 to minutes. Add the wine and turn the heat to high. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and the basil and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the shrimp back to the pan and cook until shrimp are heated through. Serve over the orzo.

Lemon and Garlic Shrimp

Can you tell who got a really good deal on shrimp a couple of weeks ago?

This is a healthy version of Shrimp Scampi, that I adapted from EatingWell magazine.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp

2 tsp olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 tbs lemon juice

1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the garlic and lemon zest, stirring until fragrant. Then add the shrimp and let cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. While shrimp is cooking add cornstarch to chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to the shrimp. Cook until mixture has thickened and shrimp have turned pink, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add the lemon juice and parsley. Serve shrimp and sauce over angel hair pasta.