"Sweet & Creamy Polenta" with "Roasted Vegetable Sauce"

August 20, 2016 Rich at Definitely Delish

I can't believe it, but it's been only just a little over a year now since I started playing around with the idea of blogging online...

It certainly has felt like so much longer to me...

Now between all of the cooking, photographing and sharing of my recipes I've been blessed to have met some of the kindest, sweetest and most supportive "Foodies" from just about every corner on Earth...

They really have been beyond wonderful and I've cherished the friendships I've made with each of them...

One of the very first good friends within the "Foodie" community that I made was Lizzy, from A Tasty Mess...

An at home Chef, much like myself, from Houston Texas—who beyond just the incredible encouragement she always gave me, and my early endeavors, was also kind enough to invite me to write, and create, a guest post on her blog—a post that amazingly enough even made it onto the The Daily Meal...

For someone like myself who hadn't ever even shared a recipe, let alone write & photograph for a website, this was an opportunity that I've always been grateful for...

So in honor of the recipe that started it all, I've decided to take most of the same wonderful ingredients to create this dish—a mix of farm fresh and organic, brought together to give you a scrumptious "Sweet & Creamy Polenta" with a "Roasted Vegetable Sauce"

Try it out for yourself. I'll think you'll find it, oh so "Definitely Delish"

"Sweet & Creamy Polenta" with "Roasted Vegetable Sauce"
(serves about 4)

Roasted Vegetable Sauce:
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Kalamata Olive oil
1-2 Japanese eggplants, cut into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces
1 medium Zucchini, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 yellow squash, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/4 cup white wine (Sauvignon blanc or Pinot Grigio)
1 cup chopped fire roasted tomatoes (fresh or canned)
6 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon organic sugar
1/2 tablespoon Shallot, minced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large deep sided sauté pan on medium heat—add the various sliced vegetables (zucchini, eggplant & squash) and pan roast for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned...
2. Now add the shallots and cook for one minute more before draining off any excess oil if necessary...
3. Follow by adding the tomato paste to the pan and stir, cooking for 2 minutes, before then adding the wine and cooking for 1 more minute...
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, water, sea salt, organic sugar and fresh oregano and cook for a further 5 minutes to get a deep-flavored sauce. Set aside or save; warm it up when ready to serve...

Polenta:
Ingredients:
6 ears of Farm Fresh Corn
2 cups Water
3 tablespoons unsalted Irish Butter, diced
7 ounces Bulgarian Feta, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
Fresh ground White Pepper

Directions:
1. Remove the leaves and "silk" from each ear of corn, then chop off the pointed top and stalk. Using a sharp knife to shave off the kernels by either standing each ear upright on its base and shaving downward, or lay each ear on its side on a cutting board to slice off the kernels...
2. You want to have about 1 pound of corn kernels...
3. Place the kernels in a medium saucepan and barely cover them with the water. Add one tablespoon of butter and a pinch of salt. Cook for 15 minutes on low heat simmering...
4. Use a slotted spoon to remove the kernels from the water and place them into a food processor; reserve the cooking liquid...
5. Process them for several minutes, to break as much of the kernel case as possible. Add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture becomes too dry to process...
6. Now return the processed corn to the pan with the reserved cooking liquid and cook, while stirring, on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mixture thickens to an almost mashed potato consistency. (If you have a lot of liquid left in the pan, it can take longer to cook down the polenta, and it will sputter)
7. Fold in the remaining butter, the feta, sea salt and some pepper and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and add more sea salt & white pepper if needed...

"Greek Bifteki Meatball Gyro-A Healthy Mediterranean Meal"

May 27, 2016 Rich at Definitely Delish

I have this enduring love of Mediterranean cuisine; truly I do, whether it's "Egyptian Lentil Soup" or "Italian Pasta with Garlic and Oil"

It seems to me no matter how much I love meat and potatoes, owing to my Austrian-Irish heritage, I just can't get enough of that delicious and healthy Mediterranean diet...
Be it Humus or Kebab, Branzino or Paella—there are just so many healthy, flavorful and delicious choices to choose from...

Today I decided on a fusion of favorites and flavors from across the Aegean and Mediterranean; what I ended up creating was a Greek Bifteki, shaped like an Italian meatball and filled with an incredible mix of cheeses, spices and herbs from all across Turkey, Greece, Hungary, Bulgaria and Italy...

Topped with fresh cucumber, tomato, red onion and the "Tzatziki" yogurt sauce inside of a griddle warmed Pita bread—it was truly just a perfectly wonderful blending of tastes and flavors reminding me of my lovely travels across the seas surrounding the beautiful shores of Italy, Greece and Turkey...

This is one healthy dish to serve for lunch or dinner and is sure to become a family favorite in your own home—so why not give it a try; I think you will find that it is, oh so
"Definitely Delish"

"Bifteki Style Meatball Gyro" with "Tzatziki"

Ingredients:
Bifteki:
8 oz. ground Pork
8 oz. ground grass-fed lean Beef
4 oz. ground Lamb
4 tablespoons Red Onion, minced
2 teaspoons Shallot, minced
2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon Thyme, fresh chopped
2 tablespoons Italian Parsley, fresh chopped
1 teaspoon dried Greek Oregano (I used some I bought in Corfu at a roadside stand)
1/2 teaspoon Turkish Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian Paprika (Szeged brand)
2 teaspoons Mediterranean Sea Salt, fine
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper, fresh ground
1 tablespoon Kalamata Olive Oil (I used a bottle I bought in Olympia Greece)
1 tablespoon Italian Red Wine Vinegar
2/3 cup Panko style plain Breadcrumbs
1 large Egg
3-4 oz. Feta Cheese, grated (I used Bulgarian Feta for the smoother, less salty & tart taste)
2 1/2 small vine ripe Tomatoes, minced after seeds and insides removed (mine were Hothouse variety, just smaller than a golf ball in size)

Tzatziki:
2 (7 oz.) containers fat-free Greek Yogurt
1 Cucumber, seedless
1/4 cup low-fat Sour Cream
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon Dill, fresh minced
1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons Mediterranean Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground

Topping:
3-4 Kirby Cucumbers, diced
4-6 small vine ripe Tomatoes, seeded & diced
1 Red Onion, sliced or chopped
Sea Salt & Black Pepper
1/2 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoons Italian Parsley, fresh chopped

Other:
Fresh Made or Quality Store Brand Pita Bread

Directions:
Bifteki:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit; then in a large bowl add all of your minced and chopped ingredients along with your spices, meat, cheese, egg and breadcrumbs...
2. Mix well by hand. (I wear plastic gloves for this and when forming the meatballs)
3. Take out a baking tray with a rim and begin forming small meatballs, around 1 to 2 inches in size, placing them in the baking tray—then repeat with the remaining meat mixture until all of its used...
4. You'll end up with 40-60 meatballs depending on size. Now place the tray and bake them at 350 degrees for 35 minutes...
5. Once they are done cooking they can be stored in a container in the fridge for 3 or 4 days; when ready to use, heat a pan on the stove on medium high heat and brown the outside of the meatballs till warmed through and ready to eat...

Tzatziki:
1. Place the yogurt in a medium bowl…
2. Grate the cucumber on a grater and squeeze the grated cucumber with your hand, or using cheesecloth, to remove some of the liquid….l
3. Add it to the yogurt along with the sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, garlic, salt and pepper and stir to combine…
4. Refrigerate until ready to use…

Toppings:
1. Dice the cucumbers and place them in a small container or Ziploc bag with a dash of sea salt and pepper with the red wine vinegar—then toss to combine and refrigerate until ready to use...
2. Remove seeds and inside of tomatoes, then dice and store in a small container or Ziploc bag till needed—repeat with the red onion and parsley...

Gyro:
1. Warm a skillet or griddle pan on the stove at medium heat and lightly toast/warm your pita bread on both sides...
2. Put 2 tablespoons of Tzatziki sauce on the "Gyro" with 4-6 "Bifteki" meatballs, some of the cucumbers, tomatoes and parsley—then enjoy....

*"White on White on Blue"-Santorini by R.Fisher*

"Roasted Corn Salad" by Definitely Delish

February 22, 2016 Rich at Definitely Delish

"Counting the days till farm stands start opening again across Long Island"

One of the things I love most during the Spring, and all the way through to the Fall (don’t get me started on Hot Cider and all things Pumpkin), are all the wonderful Farm Stands and Farmers Markets that pop up just about everywhere near me…

Truly nothing can ever beat the flavor and freshness of your locally produced fruits and vegetables; by buying local you support the towns and neighborhood farmers around you which is, definitely, always a plus…

That’s not to say you can’t ever get something from a larger store of course, sometimes you just need a specialty item you can’t get anywhere else….

"North Shore Farms is one of my favorites for finding that special cheese"

For today I decided to play around with one of my favorite summer and fall veggies; that being roasted Corn on the Cob, just the smell is enough to make my mouth water—dip it in melted butter and I’m done for….

But what do you do when you have eaten your fill of that sweet summer corn, again and again, at every farm stand from here to eternity…

"Can't beat those farm fresh fruits and vegetables"

Well, if you’re me, you throw together a beautiful and tasty “Summer Salad” of roasted Vegetables of course…..

Now, you can throw this together as quickly and easily as you like-it all depends on how much work you’d like to do and personal taste as well….

"Such a beautiful day by the water for a picnic"

To start you’ll need some fresh Vegetables; a large zucchini, a couple of big carrots, two small red onions, a handful of flat leaf parsley, a small red bell pepper or a couple of grape heirloom tomatoes for color and of course the highlight veggie of this dish—the roasted Corn (Yum)…..

Next it’s time to decide whether you want everything grilled or oven roasted, and to what degree. I bought roasted and buttered corn from my favorite farm stand; then flame roasted my onions, pepper, and carrots—the zucchini I kept raw….

"Cold Sweet Rose Wine, Tangy Feta, Roasted Veggies and Warm Sun-Perfection"

Finally I went to town with one of my trusty Shun knives and a vegetable peeler; making ribbons of zucchini and carrots, slicing onions and peppers, and removing all of that delicious corn from the cob….

Tossed everything with handfuls of fresh flat leaf parsley, Champagne Vinaigrette, and then topped it all with some Bulgarian Feta Cheese. (oh boy, I could go on and on about the differences between Bulgarian, French, Greek or Domestic Feta without even getting into whether it’s Sheep or Goats milk—just trust me there is a definite difference in flavor and it’s worth doing a little taste testing research, especially if you might have written off feta in the past)

This ends up as a wonderful sweet, roasty and slightly tangy salad made with all the yummy goodness of the roasted veggies with light and smooth tanginess of the cheese and vinaigrette…

Another way to keep on enjoying that summer corn, and so "Definitely Delish"

"Roasted Corn Salad"

Ingredients:
2-3 Sweet Corn on the Cob
2 large Carrots
2 small Red Onions
1 large Zucchini
2 mini Red Bell Peppers (or grape tomatoes for color)
1 bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley
1/4-1/2 cup Feta Cheese (or favorite alternative)
White Balsamic, White Wine or Champagne Vinaigrette dressing

Directions:
1. Either buy pre-roasted farm fresh corn and set aside till ready, or soak fresh corn in water for fifteen minutes. Pre-heat grill or oven to 400 degrees and cook for a couple of minutes on each side, turning to roast corn evenly. Set on indirect heat/flame and cover, cooking 15 minutes more- then wrap in foil till ready to use...
2. For the Carrots, cook for 15 to 25 minutes until at desired tenderness—turning often (You may like it crisper or even more roasted then me)
3. If not cooking the zucchini, use a vegetable peeler and make ribbons of zucchini-setting aside till ready...
4. For the Red Onion; slice one end, then cut into wedges leaving other end attached to keep
onion together. Place onion on grill or in oven and cook until onion softens and edges brown—about 15 minutes or more. If using a red pepper, place over heat and cook 15 to 20 minutes until skin loosens and starts to brown, and soften...
5. Tear stems from parsley and toss several handfuls with the zucchini ribbons. Make ribbons or thinly slice carrot when cool enough to touch and toss with zucchini...
6. Then, cut other end of onion and break apart, mixing it with rest of the vegetables. Slice pepper and toss in. Using a good knife, remove corn from cob-keeping some in bigger chunks, and finally toss with desired amount of dressing and top with crumbled feta cheese...
7. Serve and Enjoy!