Polenta Casserole with Sauteed Mushrooms, Blue Cheese, and Walnuts (MBR)

POLENTA

• 3 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• Salt
• 1 1/2 cups instant polenta
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
• Ground black pepper

TOPPING

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8 portobello mushroom caps, wiped clean and slice 1/4 inch thick
• 1 large red onion, halved and sliced thin
• Salt
• 6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and rehydrated, with soaking liquid reserved
• Ground black pepper
• 5 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (1 1/4 cups)
• 3/4 cups walnuts, chopped coarse
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Mise en place.

Bring water, milk, and 2 teaspoons of salt to a simmer in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat.  Very slowly pour polenta into liquid, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to lowest possible setting, cover, and stirring occasionally until soft and smooth.

Cook piles of portobello and white mushrooms, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the oil over high heat until most of the mushrooms have exuded their liquid and browned.

Add garlic, thyme and porcini with reserved liquid.  Cook until most of liquid has evaporated and season to taste.

Layer polenta, mushrooms, blue cheese, and walnuts.  Bake in 400 degree over for 20 minutes.  Then let cool for ten minutes.

I remain un-wowed by the dish although I like these things separately, they just didn't seem to meld properly.

Japanese-Spiced Roasted Beets with Honeyed Walnuts (FM)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pan
• 2 pounds beets (about 4 large), peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Sichuan or black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons white sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
• Salt
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons honey

Smear baking sheet with oil.  Put beets on pan, drizzle with sesame and vegetable oil, and toss to coat.

Roast undisturbed for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Then turn every 10 minutes until just tender.

Should've used my half-sheet pan.

Mise en place.  I didn't have honey to toss the walnuts in.  I figured sorghum was better than molasses.

Toss everything together with a sprinkling of salt and bake for a 1 minute or 2 just to toast the spices.  There was a ton of seasoning left so I typically just re-seasoned the dish every time I ate it.
I figure you can easily double or maybe even triple the number of beets you use and have enough spice.

A really nice dish.  The basic recipe frankly didn't require enough beets, but I figure four servings could be construed as the amount needed for a side dish.

Chicken with Nuts and Raisins (BRW)

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken parts, trimmed of excess fat [chicken thighs obvs]
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup walnuts or hazelnuts, roughly chopped [walnuts pulsed in the food processor]
• 1 cup raisins or currants [currants are more interesting]
• Fresh lemon juice to taste [high-enough-quality bottled stuff is the way I usually go]

Brown chicken over medium high heat.  Halfway through this process, add the garlic.

Mise en place.

Cook onions until softened and they begin to color.  The garlic is really gone by this time, charred and black.

Add the wine and let it bubble away for a minute or so.

Add the nuts and currants.  Return the chicken, skin-side up, cover, and cook over low until chicken is done, 10-15 minutes.

Adjust seasoning with lemon juice, salt, and pepper as necessary.

Apparently this dish is made anywhere nuts and raisins are grown in this world.  And with good reason.
As with the last dish, this one is very straightforward in terms of ingredients.  Served over brown rice, it is quite satisfying.