Dig the Pig

Smokey Pork Bolognese with Creamy Polenta
This recipe defies the expectation of easy summer cooking. It's mid-July and hot around here . . . so why on earth would I want a hearty bowl of slow-cooked bolognese? My easy-breezy summer has become hectic and packed with meetings, obligations, and rehearsal for Midsummer Night's Dream. My long days make way for long evenings making it difficult to dedicate a lot of time in the kitchen (or the grill for that matter). Enter large-batch make-it-and-forget-it recipes. A couple of weeks ago I bought a 10 pound pork shoulder and made a huge batch of Kaluah Pig, divided it into four generous portions, made one batch into a honey-ginger-soy version, and froze the other three. When time is a precious commodity, having a delicious recipe building-block on hand makes a home-cooked dinner possible. I must also confess, with little time to get to the grocery store at the moment, I came up with the recipe to use up stuff I already had in my pantry and fridge. Fridays we get the evening off of rehearsal, so that morning I took out one pork packet to defrost, went to work for the day, and got this deeply-flavored bolognese sauce finished in half the time it usually takes. Dinner was done shortly after my handsome-hubby got home from work and Friday night became a relaxing and cozy evening at home. I served the bolognese over a creamy polenta, but feel free to use the sauce with pasta, potatoes, or rice! Your call! This is your dinner!

INGREDIENTS
- 2-3 c. shredded Kaluah Pig
- 4 slices of bacon or 4 oz. pancetta, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery ribs, trimmed and diced
- 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/4 c. tomato paste
- 3-4 c. red wine
- 1/4 c. heavy cream
- salt and pepper
- chopped fresh oregano and thyme
- 1 c. uncooked polenta
- 1/4 c. creme fraiche
- 1 c. shredded Parmesan (plus extra for serving)
- 4. chicken broth
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. minced chives
- 1/2 c. chopped Italian parsley, divided

SMOKEY PORK BOLOGNESE
In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high, add chopped bacon or pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and crisp. Remove cooked bacon with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, red pepper flakes, and chopped thyme and oregano to the Dutch oven (using any of the remaining bacon grease to cook). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until softened and glossy, about 5-7 minutes. Add tomato paste to vegetable mixture and cook together for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour wine into mixture and add cooked bacon and Kahlua pig. Mix ingredients together. If mixture seems dry, add water or chicken broth by the half-cup. Cook to a boil and then reduce heat to low and cook, partially covered for 1-2 hours. Check occasionally and stir ingredients together. After an hour or so, the bolognese should be very thick and the vegetables should be very soft. Slowly pour cream into sauce, stir, and season with salt and pepper. Allow sauce to simmer over a low heat for another 20-30 minutes while preparing the polenta (or whatever starch you plan to serve).

CREAMY POLENTA
Heat chicken broth to a boil over high heat in a large, heavy pot, add 1 tsp. of salt, and garlic clove and cook for 1-2 minutes. Reduce to a simmer and slowly pour dry polenta into the broth, stirring slowly with a whisk to prevent any lumps. Once the polenta in mixed into the both, stir gently while simmering for 8-10 minutes. Make sure ans scrape the bottom with wooden spoon to keep polenta from burning and sticking. After about 10 minutes, the polenta should be cooked, soft, and the mixture thick. If it is too thin, allow to cook for another minute or so. Remove from heat and stir in creme fraiche, Parmesan, chopped chives, and half the Italian parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, divide polenta into bowls and ladle cooked, warm bolognese over. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and remaining Italian parsley. Yum!

Salmon with Spice and Everything Nice

Spicy Salmon with Tomato Avocado Salsa and Pepperjack Polenta
The one food I always want to eat? Chips and salsa. After a run, I crave chips and salsa. Morning, afternoon, late night. It doesn't matter. If I don't eat anything else all day, I will eat chips and salsa. I have tried dozens of varieties and appreciate many for their subtle differences. One of my favorite salsas to make is a tomato avocado salsa- not quite salsa and not quite guacamole, this flavorful condiment is fantastic with tortilla chips, but I wanted to use it as part of a legitimate dinner recipe. Due to my passion for salmon, I figured a meet-up between these two ingredients was long overdue. I was right, the salmon's spicy dry rub with the freshness of the salsa and creamy polenta made for great all-around meal. It's an easy dinner for four, or easily cut in half for a dinner for two!

Ingredients
- 4 7 oz. salmon fillets
- salt and pepper
- 2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
- 2 tsp. cardamom powder
- 1 tsp. dried minced garlic
- olive oil
- 6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and roughly diced
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
- 1/2 red onion, peeled and finely diced
- 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 3 tsp. ground cumin, divided
- 1 small handful of chopped fresh cilantro
- juice from 1 lime
- 1 tsp. hot sauce such as Tobasco
-1 c. polenta
- 1 qt. whole milk
- 1 c. grated pepperjack cheese

SALMON AND POLENTA
Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Spray a shallow glass with non-stick cooking spray. Brush each salmon fillet on both sides with a little olive oil and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, set aside. In a small bowl mix together 2 tsp. cumin, cardamom, chili powder, and dried minced garlic until the spices are well combined. Sprinkle both sides of each fillet with an even coating of spice rub, then using your fingers press into the fish slightly. Bake the salmon in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until cooked through evenly, but still flaky and tender. 


While the salmon is baking prepare the polenta. In a medium heavy, bottomed sauce pan, heat milk over medium and bring to a simmer. Add polenta slowly and whisk into milk. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer together until the polenta softens and absorbs the milk, stir frequently to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pan, 10-15 minutes. When polenta has reached the desired consistency, remove from heat and stir in grated pepperjack cheese. Season with salt and pepper, and cover to keep warm while finishing salmon and salsa.

TOMATO AVOCADO SALSA
In a large bowl combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeño pepper, and cilantro. Toss together with vinegar, 2 tsp. of cumin, lime juice, and hot sauce until well combined. Gently toss in the diced avocado and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more hot sauce and cumin if desired. 

Serve by divining up even portions of polenta among four plates and top each with a piece of salmon. Top salmon with the salsa. Serve with additional tortilla chips if desired.

Meat That Can't Be Beat

Braised Short Ribs in Sun Dried Tomato Gravy with Cheesy Polenta
It's surprisingly easy to make a meal that looks like something you would get in a restaurant. Short ribs a very deceptive in this manner. They are incredibly rich and fall-from-the-bone tender, but actually inexpensive and easy to prepare. For several weeks I had been craving beef in all its rich and fatty glory. A trip Costco and a bulk package of short ribs fulfilled this desire. The weather has been perfect for the house to fill up with the smells of slow-simmering meat and onions. The meal? Delicious. And yielded plenty of leftovers for paninis, nachos, and whatever other beef-centered meals I felt like throwing together. Mmmm. Meat! It's a little bit time-consuming, but I promise it's easy and well worth the effort!

Ingredients
- 5 lbs. short ribs, cut into 3-4" pieces
- 8 oz. jar of sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
- 4 c. chopped yellow onion
- 3 stalks chopped celery
- 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
- 2 c. chopped carrots
- 1 bottle red wine
- 1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
- 4 c.milk
- 1 c. dried polenta
- Italian parsley
- 1 c. shredded Colby-Jack cheese

BRAISED RIBS
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Season ribs on all sides with salt and pepper. Set meat aside. Drain the oil from jar of sun dried tomatoes. Set tomatoes aside and pour oil into a large Dutch oven. Heat oil over medium. Brown meat in batches in oil on each side, about 10 minutes per batch. Set browned meat aside and scrape brown bits from the bottom of Dutch oven with a wooden spoon. Add onions to oil, adding a little olive oil if the pot has become a little dry. Stir frequently until the onions begin to become translucent. Add carrots, celery, and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until all the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add sun dried tomatoes and stir mixture.

Arrange pieces of beef on top of the vegetables and cover mixture with a bottle of red wine and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil. Remove Dutch oven from stove and cover with lid. Put the covered Dutch oven into the preheated oven and braise for 2 and a half hours until meat becomes very tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before putting Dutch oven into the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to serve, remove Dutch oven from refrigerator and scrape the layer of fat from the top of mixture. The fat will rise to the top and solidify as the mixture cools and should be easy to scrape out with a wooden spoon. Discard fat. Put Dutch oven back on the stove and reheat meat mixture over medium-low heat until everything is warmed through, 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, make polenta. After ribs are heated. Remove from Dutch oven and place on a platter, cover with foil to keep warm. Strain liquids from the Dutch oven and discard solids (the mushy cooked vegetables). Return liquid to Dutch oven and simmer over low to thicken slightly into gravy. Season ribs and gravy with additional salt and pepper to taste before serving.

CHEESY POLENTA
Heat 4 c. of milk over medium heat in a large pot until it just starts to bubble at the edges. Add 1 c. of dried polenta. Simmer over medium, stirring frequently until polenta thickens, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, stir in shredded cheese, and chopped Italian parsley. Put a large dollop of polenta on a plate, arrange several ribs on top and pour a little bit of gravy on top. Yum!

Peasant Uprising!

Golden Polenta Cakes Puttanesca

The appropriation and reinvention "low culture" to suit the tastes of the social elite is apparent in many areas of society. The gentrification of run-down neighborhoods into boutique-ridden hipster haunts or the commodification of the deliberate youth revolt against materialism into "grunge fashion" come to mind . . . And so it goes with food. When I first encountered polenta, it was served rich and creamy under a braised beef shank. It was decadent and delicious, but my father was quick to dismiss the polenta as "Italian peasant food" and the use of it in a fine dining experience as somehow cheating the consumer of a more authentically highbrow meal. He is right. Polenta is "peasant food" - essentially a corn meal mush and, on its own, nothing to get terribly exited about. But in its elegant simplicity lies the potential for a fantastic meal. In an effort to embrace this concept of "peasant food," I put together the two most down-and-dirty ideas I could muster and came up with polenta with a puttanesca (translated literally from Italian as "whore"). This was a quick, easy meal that elevates this pair of Italian peasants something darn, near sophisticated.

Ingredients
- 1 8 oz. tube of polenta (I got it at Trader Joes) sliced into 1/4" disks
- 5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 lb. mixed cherry tomatoes, rinsed and sliced in half
- 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 small red onion, peeled and diced
- 3 Tbsp. capers, chopped
- 1 small bunch Italian parsley, chopped
- 1/4 c. kalamata olives, sliced in half lengthwise
- fontina cheese, cut into 2" square slices

In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, onion, vinegar, sugar, capers, olives, and parsley. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat broiler. Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high in a large skillet. Working in batches, fry polenta slices (about 2-3 minutes per side) in hot oil until the edges start to crisp slightly. Drain on paper towels.

When polenta slices are are cooked, arrange evenly spaced on a large pie plate or other broiler-proof cookware. Top each polenta disk with a small piece of cheese. place under broiler and cook until the cheese begins to melt and turns brown a bubbly. Remove from heat. To plate, arrange several slices of polenta and top with puttanesca It's vegetarian and really yummy. . . check it out.