Baby, It's Cold Outside

It is cold here.  Like, zero is the day's high temperature kind of cold.  The car protests when left outside at work, even David occasionally thinks it's too cold to go ski and everyone's skin seems perpetually chapped.

Then I talked to an opposing attorney in Fairbanks yesterday, and he informed me that it was 35 below.  In the middle of the day.  Talk about perspective.

Although I'm continuing to eat (mostly) healthy, I am really craving warm, hearty comfort food at night.  Not in huge portions, and not made with a stick of butter, but comfort food nevertheless.

When we made the Tuscan Chicken on Sunday night, I made a big pot of rosemary-scented polenta to go with it.  We've been continuing to eat the polenta with the leftover roast chicken, but last night I really wanted a little red meat, preferably in a red wine sauce, to go over the polenta.  I made kebabs of sirloin and braised pearl onions that were ridiculously good, and went together so fast that it didn't even occur to me to take more pictures.

The pearl onions can be either fresh or jarred.  When I went to the store last night, the fresh pearl onions were looking a little sad.  I think the same four bags had been sitting there for a while, so I went with the jarred.  If you use the jarred, I recommend rinsing and drying them before browning. 

Beef and Braised Onion Kebabs with Red Wine Jus

Inspired by a Recipe from epicurious.com

30 small pearl onions, jarred

1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 tbsp. fresh-ground black pepper

1.5 tsp. rosemary, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of kosher salt

1/2 lb. sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup dry red wine

Rinse the pearl onions in a colander.  In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions.  Cook for about three minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions brown lightly.  Add the salt and pepper, cover the onions with water and turn the heat to low.  Cook for another 15 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, toss the beef cubes with the olive oil, rosemary and garlic and set aside to marinate. 

When the onions are cooked, remove them from the heat and separate the onions from the cooking liquid.  Reserve the liquid in the skillet and allow the onions to cool.

When the onions are cooled, string the beef cubes and onions on either metal skewers or soaked bamboo skewers.  The recipe is enough to make about six kebabs.

Preheat the broiler to high and place the skewers on a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. 

Return the onion cooking liquid to the stove.  On medium heat, add the residual marinade from the beef and the cup of wine.  Heat to a simmer.

Broil the kebabs for two to four minutes;  they do not need to be turned.  Three minutes resulted in a nice medium-rare kebab.

Serves two;  serve with polenta and drizzle with the wine sauce.

Rosemary-scented Polenta

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, January 2009

6 cups water

1.5 cups polenta

1 tsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

3/4 cup cheese, finely shredded*

2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

Fresh-ground pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring the polenta, water, rosemary and salt to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture uncovered for approximately twenty minutes.  Stir frequently with a long-handled spoon, because it will want to stick to the bottom of the pot.

Remove the pan from the when the polenta is tender but not mushy and all the water has been absorbed.  Stir in the butter and cheese and add fresh-ground pepper to taste.  Makes enough polenta for four to six people, or enough for two with lots of leftovers.

*Be creative with the cheese, although I'd recommend using a harder cheese.  I used an aged cow's-milk cheese from New Jersey called Pawlet that my brother-in-law sent us, but a good Parmesan or Pecorino would work too.

In the Kitchen with David: Polenta with Sausage Ragù

It was Sunday.  I had grand plans for dinner.

Then I did twenty miles of marathon training, which knocked me on my ass.  I've done five marathons , and about the same number of half-marathons, with the next race in three weeks.  Twenty miles shouldn't be any big deal, and while I was out training, it was fine:  once I came home and showered, though, I was toast.

David took over the menu I prepared for tonight, and it was utterly brilliant. 

This recipe is featured on the cover of Italian Cooking at Home, and David initially went "meh."  He changed his tune when we sat down to eat, though.  It has deep, savory flavor, and is the perfect Sunday dinner for fall/winter. 

The secret is to use really good sausage.  We have sausage made by a local market in Anchorage, and if we have good sausage made daily, I can't imagine that it's too hard to find elsewhere.  You could certainly use pork sausage, which the original recipe calls for, but David used Italian chicken sausage.  In addition, you could alter the recipe by using only dried or fresh mushrooms, although the combination of dried and fresh mushrooms gives the recipe terrific texture.



Yes, the hat makes him look like a hipster.  David just shaved his head, which is his annual birthday tradition.

Total cooking time is about an hour and a half, although a lot of it is inactive time. 

Polenta with Sausage Ragù

Adapted from CIA Italian Cooking at Home

For the ragù:

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

4 ounces fresh mushrooms, preferably crimini

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. Italian chicken sausage, either sliced or taken out of its casings and crumbled

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 leeks, white and pale green portions only, thinly sliced

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup chopped parsley

For the polenta:

2 quarts water

Kosher salt as needed

Fresh-ground pepper as needed

2 cups cornmeal

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan

Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl and pour boiling water over them.  Allow to sit for 20 minutes, then drain, rinse and chop them into chunks.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil on medium heat for the ragù.  Add the sausage and cook until the fat is rendered, about 3 minutes.  Add the onion, leeks and porcini mushrooms, and cook for another 10 minutes.  In a separate dish, mix the water with the tomato paste and then add to the saucepan.



We cut the sausage into chunks with the casings on, which saves some time.

Stir the mixture to incorporate the tomato paste and water, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to low.  Add the fresh mushrooms and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If the ragù starts to stick to the pan, add a little water or chicken broth to loosen.

While the ragù is cooking, start the polenta.  Bring the water to a simmer and add a generous pinch of kosher salt.  Add the cornmeal slowly, whisking briskly as you add it. 

Simmer the polenta on low heat for 45 minutes or until cooked to your taste.  It should be soft but not mushy.  Stir the polenta occasionally so it doesn't stick.

Take the polenta off the heat.  Taste for seasoning--a bit of fresh-ground pepper should be added, and a little salt if necessary--and add the butter and cheese, stirring it into the polenta.

Add the parsley to the ragù.  Make a bed of polenta in a warmed pasta bowl, then top with the ragù.  Top with a small amount of freshly-grated Parmesan if desired, although it doesn't need it.

Serves 4 as a main course. 

We served with a side of zucchini coins broiled with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Food/wine pairing:  This dish needs a light red wine, preferably one from northern Italy or Spain.  We served a Mencia from Bierzo, which is close to Portugal.  Alternatively, a Dolcetto or Barbera from Piedmont would be delicious.