This weekend we spent in Napa with our friends Becky and Chris. What a great time it was!
Mike and I left for the lake on Friday evening and got ready for our weekend guests! On Saturday afternoon, we headed down to the Silverado Trail and went to William Hill and then met Becky and Chris at Luna Vineyards. We hit up Darioush, Staggs Leap Cellars, and Pine Ridge and then went back to our lake house.
Once to the lake house, we enjoyed some Italian meats and cheeses and went in the hot tub for about an hour. Two deer came right down to the hot tub while we were in it!
For dinner I fixed Baked Polenta with baby sweet peas.
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Baked Polenta
· 1 cup polenta
· 4 cups water
· 1 tsp. salt
· 2 tablespoons butter
· 1 pound spicy Italian sausage
· 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
· 2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced
· 3 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 – 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
· 1 – 8oz. can tomato sauce
· 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
· 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
· 15 oz. low fat ricotta cheese
· 2 cups part skim mozzarella, shredded (plus a little extra for topping)
· 1 & ½ cups grated parmesan cheese
· 1 – 10oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
· Salt & pepper to taste
· Olive oil
Gradually add polenta to boiling, salted water, stirring constantly until thickened. Cook in a double boiler, stirring frequently for 25 minutes. Blend in butter. Spread evenly across at greased 9x13 pan, set aside to chill. (You can do this the night before to save time with the rest of the recipe)
Heat 1 teaspoon minced garlic in a medium saucepan and cook for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and oregano. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes.
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a sauté pan. Add onion, bell pepper, 2 teaspoons garlic, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes, cook 5 minutes. Add the sausage, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks, 5 minutes. Cover and cook until veggies are tender and sausage is cooked through, 5 more minutes. Drain excess liquid/fat. Add the tomato sauce and simmer 10 minutes. Once ready, remove 1 ½ cups of sauce to reserve for topping.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and spinach and mix together. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.
Once the polenta is cooled and set, place in the oven 4 inches from the heating element and Broil on high until crispy – about 10 minutes.
Cover the broiled polenta with the sauce (minus 1 ½ cups) and top with the cheese and spinach mixture. Spoon the 1 ½ cups of sauce over the top and sprinkle a small amount of mozzarella over it.
Bake at 375 for 20 minutes (or until bubbly) and then Broil on High 2-3 minutes until the top is golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
You can also make this ahead – once the polenta is broiled, let it cool and let the sauce and then layer, cover and refrigerate – bake at 375 for 30 minutes and broil for 2-3 minutes.
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This morning, Becky and Chris fixed us brunch; it was fabulous!
Becky fixed a Prosecco-Berry Sparkler
· 1 packet Splenda
· 2 cups mixed berries (such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and sliced strawberries)
· 1 bottle prosecco or other sparkling white wine, chilled
Pour the Splenda over the mixed berries and toss to coat. Divide the berries among 4 martini glasses and fill each glass with prosecco.
And Chris fixed Fluffy Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Boursin Cheese
· 8 large eggs
· 1/2 teaspoon table salt
· Ground black pepper
· 1/2 cup milk
· 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
· 1 six ounce can Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon, broken into small pieces
· 4 ounces Boursin Cheese, crumbled )
· 1 tablespoon chopped chives
Crack eggs into a medium bowl. Add salt, pepper, and milk. Whip with a fork until streaks are gone and color is pure yellow; stop beating while the bubbles are still large.
Meanwhile, put butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet, then set the pan over high heat. When the butter foams, swirl it around and up the sides of the pan. Before foam completely subsides, pour in beaten eggs. With a wooden spatula or a nonstick-safe egg turner, push eggs from one side of the pan to the other, slowly but deliberately, lifting and folding eggs as they form into curds, until eggs are nicely clumped into a single mound, but remain shiny and wet, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle salmon, Boursin cheese, and chives over eggs and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
Brunch was DELICIOUS – thanks again to Becky and Chris!!!
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