Pumpkin Polenta with Italian Sausage, Fennel, and Onions

Historically, polenta is peasant food from northern Italy. This dish of boiled cornmeal is cheap, simple, and filling, making it a staple in the diets of the poor for generations. Today, however, it seems that polenta has joined the ranks of haute cuisine as it pops up on trendy menus and the tables of elite foodies worldwide. Here is a less-than-traditional but oh-so-delicious variation on the joy that is polenta.

1 lb sweet Italian sausage (cut into bite-size pieces)
1 onion (thinly sliced)
1 large bulb fennel (thinly sliced)
3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 14 oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (chopped)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup pecorino cheese (grated)
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned. Remove sausages from pan and let sit. Add fennel and onions to pan and saute until tender. Add wine and sausages to pan and cook the alcohol away for a few minutes.

In a separate saucepan, bring the chicken stock and butter to a boil, then stir in the pumpkin puree. Add polenta to the boiling liquid, stirring constantly until desired texture is achieved. Remove polenta from heat and whisk in thyme, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and pecorino cheese. Serve sausage, fennel, and onions over polenta and top with parsley and pecorino for a last minute color and flavor kick.

Banana Bread

One of the perks of being back in New York is that I have access to an oven that actually has temperature control! This means I can start baking again and trying to recreate some of the delicious baked goods I've met on my journeys. For my first baking adventure back at home I went with an easy and familiar classic that is satisfying for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert.

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups mashed bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the inside of a 9x15in baking pan. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt together. In a separate large bowl, cream the brown sugar and butter together. Add 2 eggs to the butter and brown sugar. Add mashed bananas to the wet mix. Slowly fold the wet mix into the dry mix until the consistency is uniform throughout. Pour into greased baking pan. Bake in oven for about 65-70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Mussels in White Wine Sauce

My life has been quite chaotic recently, traveling between Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, and Germany since I last posted. Now that I am back in New York, I should find myself with plenty of time for activities such as digital communication and blogging. w00t w00t! So here is a recipe from my travels. Rovinj, Croatia enchanted me thoroughly with its island views, seafood and truffle laced cuisine, and Venetian architecture. On one fine day we made a trip to the fish market to scout the bounty.


After much deliberation, we settled on mussels for our dinner. And the results were phenomenal.

1.5 kilo of mussels
3 cups white wine
3 big cloves garlic (chopped)
3 large tomatoes (chopped)
Olive oil
Pepper
Fresh herbs (parsley, rosemary, sage)
1 box linguine

Be sure to wash each mussel thoroughly. These guys can be full of bacteria, so it's worth the effort to scrub. Also, only use mussels that are closed. If it is open, poke it to see if it closes its shell in reaction. If it doesn't, it is dead, and you do not want to eat it.

Pour the wine into a large pot with a lid. Add garlic, tomato (keep some aside for topping the final dish), fresh herbs, pepper, and a small amount of olive oil to the pot. Let cook over high heat until boiling. Add mussels to pot and cover. When steaming, reduce heat. After about 5 minutes, mussels should begin to open up. Remove each mussel immediately after it opens so as not to over cook it and cause it to be rubbery. Some mussels may take much longer than others to open.


Once all the mussels are open, serve over some al dente linguine and cover with the sauce that the mussels cooked in. The shellfish will release all sorts of juices into this broth, so it will be salty and flavorful and amazing. Be sure to have some bread on hand for sopping it up. Top your linguine and mussels and sauce with some fresh tomatoes and herbs. Adriatic ecstasy.

Chorizo con Huevos

A friend recently came to visit from Spain and she brought with her some Spanish culinary treats, including some chorizo sausages! Chorizo is a pork sausage seasoned with Spanish paprika and salt. They are incredibly rich, filling, and flavorful. Here's my take on the classic Spanish dish of chorizo with eggs.

3 chorizo sausages (sliced)
1 large onion (chopped)
4 eggs
Salt
Pepper
Rice
Grana cheese


Saute the onions in a very small amount of oil. Add the sausages and saute until cooked through. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a small amount of water, salt, and pepper. Add the egg mixture to the pan. Mix everything together and cook until the eggs are done.

Serve on top of rice and top with grated grana cheese, salt, and pepper. ¡Olé!

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Ginger Noodles

Recently, I have been making a lot of Asian food. I think the "Foreign Exotic Imports Market" is my favorite shop in Budapest. This recipe came about late one night when a craving for cheap Chinese food hit, and after the many Kínai Gyors Büfé proved their inability to satisfy such needs.

3 Chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
1 cup flour
2 eggs (beaten)
Water
1 cup breadcrumbs
Salt
Pepper
Sesame seeds
Ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup Rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon white sugar
5 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 can baby corn
1 box noodles
Vegetable oil
Sesame oil

For chicken:
Start by preparing 3 bowls. The first contains flour, salt, pepper, sesame seeds, and baking soda. The second contains eggs, water, salt, and pepper. And the third contains breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and sesame seeds. Dredge the chicken in flour, then coat them with egg, and then cover in breadcrumb mix. When all chicken pieces are sufficiently breaded, heat some vegetable oil over high heat and fry the pieces for about 3 minutes each or until the outside begins to brown and they are cooked through.

For sauce:
Combine vinegar, brown & white sugars, honey, soy sauce, tomato paste, and salt. Mix well.

For noodles:
Heat sesame oil in wok. Add cooked noodles and stir fry to coat noodles in oil. Add baby corn. Add a splash of soy sauce to the wok. Generously grate fresh ginger over noodles and continue stir frying until everything is hot.

Pour sweet and sour sauce over chicken pieces, or use as a dipping sauce. Serve with noodles and enjoy!

Phad Thai

Phad thai is everyone's favorite dish to order in Thai restaurants,and something I have not come by at all in Hungary. I was surprised how easy it was to make a dish that replicated the flavor of pad thai pretty exactly. And now I will share this wisdom with you...

1 package dry rice noodles
4 green onions (slivered)
1 package bean sprouts
1/2 cup peanuts (finely chopped)
Lime wedges
Coriander
2 Tablespoons sugar*
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 eggs
Oil

Soak noodles until soft, then drain. Mix sugar, vinegar, paprika, and fish sauce, set sauce mixture aside. Briefly saute garlic in oil. If you want to add meat, tofu, or seafood to your phad thai, this would be the time to cook it. Add noodles to wok and pour sauce over everything. Stir fry briefly. Next, tuck the eggs under the noodles and stir fry everything. Add oil as needed. Add green onions, sprouts, and coriander. Remove from heat. Garnish with crushed peanuts and lime wedges.

*Try tamarind paste instead of sugar for a more AUTHENTIC phad thai.

Kebabche Meatballs with Tzaziki

I finally got it together to make some Bulgarian kebabche, which I loved so much while touring the country. These are incredibly easy to make, and they are so flavorful that they are sure to be a hit every time.

Disclaimer: These are not really AUTHENTIC kebabche. The real deal are oblong shaped and are made from a combination of pork, lamb, and veal. Also, I have heard varying opinions on whether onions are part of the traditional recipe. So, to be culturally sensitive to the integrity of regional cuisine, I will call these kebabche-inspired meatballs. Anyway, for my first foray into Bulgarian cuisine, I think this dish was a dazzling success.

For meatballs:
1 pound ground pork
1 small onion (diced)
3 Tablespoons parsley
2 Tablespoons cumin
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon pepper

Mix all the ingredients together well with a wooden spoon. Adjust seasonings to taste. Form the mixture into patties. Cook in a pan on the stove top or grill until cooked through. Makes about 8 patties.

For tzaziki:
2 cups plain yogurt
1 small cucumber (finely cut)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
Olive oil
Salt

Mix yogurt, garlic, and cucumber together. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Mix well.

Serve meatballs and tzaziki with pita bread and salad. Your breath will be strong enough to keep the vampires away for the rest of the day, but it's definitely worth it.