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

"Polenta with Roasted Vegetable Sauce"

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...

 

"Venice" by R.Fisher

 

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...

 

 

"Farm Fresh and Organic"

"Farm Fresh and Organic"

 

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...

"Sweet Polenta with Sauce"

 

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"

 

"Freshest Ingredients"

"Freshest Ingredients"

"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...

"The Grand Canal" by R.Fisher

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

 

 

"Polenta with Roasted Vegetables"

"Polenta with Roasted Vegetables"

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...

"Porto'Fino At Night" by R.Fisher

"Veal Bolognese Balls with Pasta & Garlic in Oil"

"Veal Bolognese Meatballs"

I love coming home, or getting up on a weekend and throwing a huge pot of sauce on to simmer the whole day. Especially when it's my "Sunday Gravy" or "Bolognese Sauce" recipes; which are just full of a ton of yummy, delicious flavors & meats...

Time, though, is not always on my side. So not to long back I worked out a way of cutting the time down on my personal "Bolognese Sauce" recipe from 6 or 7 hours of slow cooking, simmering, goodness to a more manageable 3 hours or less - which has been nothing short of incredible if you ask me...

Now after years of doing certain things a certain way; my "Bolognese" perfected, my meatball recipe for my "Sunday Gravy" set - I decided it was high time to try to play around with everything and make something new out of thin air...

"Baked Meatballs & Pasta"

 

So taking up some of my very best, tried and true recipes; I then force-ably smashed them together, and from the scattered remnants I started picking through the fragments of tasty puzzle pieces left hither & thither across the length & breadth of my kitchen island...

 

From these bits and pieces of culinary invention I began to cobble together a new, imaginative, culinary creation for me and the family to enjoy - and that's where this delicious dish first sparked to life...

"Venice, bella Venezia"

So fitting some of the tastes and ingredients of my "Bolognese" with my recipe for "Meatballs" and throwing that in with a slightly altered version of my "Capellini Aglio e Olio" I ended up with this extremely tasty dinner treat; which, for want of a better name, I am calling for now "Veal Bolognese Balls with Pasta & Garlic in Oil" or "Vitello Bolognesi Sfere con Capellini & Aglio e Olio"

I know, I know; I definitely need to figure a better name down the road for this tasty pasta dish but for now it'll do, because regardless of what it's called - it is, oh so "Definitely Delish"

 

"Veal Meatballs & Pasta"

  "Veal Bolognese Style Meatballs with Pasta & Garlic in Oil"
  (Vitello Bolognesi Sfere con Capellini & Aglio e Olio)

Ingredients:
For Meatballs:
1 pound ground Veal
4 ounces lean Pancetta (or Prosciutto), thick cut & diced
1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan, Asiago & Romano cheese, grated & mixed
1/4 White Wine
1/4 Red Wine
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
2 cloves fresh Garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 Eggs, room temperature
1/2 sweet Vidalia Onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon each of Sea Salt and Black Pepper

"The Grand Canal in Venice"

For Pasta:
1 lb dried Capellini pasta
1/2 cup Olive Oil
4 tablespoons Butter
9 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup fresh parsley, minced
3/4 cup white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
1 teaspoon fresh Basil, minced
1 teaspoon fresh Oregano, minced
1/4 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 cup Parmesan, Romano & Asiago cheeses, freshly grated & mixed together
1 teaspoon Pink (or Sea) Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground black pepper
1 lemon, juiced 

Directions:
For Meatballs:
1. Place ground Veal (Beef or Beef substitute if desired) in a bowl and then add both the red and white wine; mix them together, then allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes...
2. Meanwhile grate your cheese, chop your parsley and mince your onion and garlic in preparation...
3. At this time heat a small frying pan over medium to medium high heat and cook your pancetta (or proscioutto) till it just begins to brown, 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat. (Do not overcook, it will cook more in oven)
4. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (see Notes for options); then add all of your meatball ingredients to the bowl containing your meat, and mix extremely well using your hands...
5. Take out a cookie sheet or baking tray with a lip and begin rolling your meatballs; I try not to pack them overly tightly, and stick to medium and small sizes so that you make a good amount of meatballs from the bowl of mix...
6. Place each meatball onto the baking tray, and once you've used up all of the meat, place them into the oven to bake for 30 minutes or cooked through. (Do not overcook to avoid drying them out) While they bake, prepare your pasta...

"Baked Meatballs with Pasta and Garlic"

For Pasta:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the pasta, cooking until al dente, about 3 minutes (for Capellini); reserve 3 cups of cooking liquid from the pot on the side, then run the pasta itself under cool water to stop the cooking process....
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat...
3. Add garlic and stir frequently until the garlic is nice and golden...
4. Then add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper...
5. Next add 4 tablespoons of butter and melt, stirring...
6. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes more, then add in the 3/4 cup of white wine and cook for an additional minute or two before adding the pinch of basil and dash of paprika...
7. Add the Al dente cooked Pasta directly to the pan. Toss until it is thoroughly coated with the garlic oil, add reserved cooking liquid (1/2 cup at a time) as needed to thin the butter/wine/garlic/oil sauce on the pasta...
8. Add several pinches of parsley and a couple of tablespoons of fresh grated Parmesan, Romano & Asiago cheeses along with the juice from 1 lemon and stir...
9. Now add the baked Veal Meatballs to the pot, mix in and cook - stirring to meld flavors for a couple minutes more.... 
10. Remove pan from heat; add the remaining parsley, grated cheeses and then toss well. Check for flavor and adjust the salt & pepper if necessary. (If needed add additional reserved cooking liquid) 
11. Garnish with more Parsley and Parmesan if desired—then serve and enjoy....

"Saint Mark's Square, Venice"

Notes:
1. Serve with a nice white wine; such as a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Also, hot crusty Italian bread with plenty of softened butter as well as extra grated cheese is a must in our home when serving this up...
2. Alternatively you can cook the Meatballs in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until cooked through...
3. If you are against veal, or dislike beef or pork you can also try this with ground turkey or chicken - though the taste will be different depending on the meat or meat mix you use...