Corn Polenta with Sautéed Eggplant

Not too long ago I was telling you about my friend Meaghin’s wonderful blog- Cheery Observations.  She posts beautiful pictures and recipes to match it.  I wish we lived closer to each other, this way I could come over for dinner at least once a week.

Back in August Meaghin posted a recipe for Sweetcorn Polenta with Eggplant Sauce.  It’s a meal full of vegetables- so I definitely wanted to give this one a try.  And I was not disappointed, not one bit.  If you do anything this weekend- please make this recipe.  Delicious!

I did make alterations from Meaghin’s recipe, but I give her full credit for finding this one!

I do have one great product for all of you to try out in your kitchen.  Around here I have only been able to find it at Whole Foods, but I’m sure other stores have them as well.  It’s tomato paste in a tube!  I have never been able to use that little can all at once, so the tube is a great way of preserving the paste until I need it once again.  Add it to your shopping list!

Corn Polenta with Sautéed Eggplant
Adapted from: Cheery Observations

6 ears of corn
3 tbsp olive oil
2 1/4 cup of water + 7 tbsp of water
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium/large eggplant, cut into smaller pieces (the size of a quarter)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup of white wine (we used a dry)
2 large or 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
4 tsp salt
1 tbsp oregano, chopped
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 jalapeño, chopped (optional)
4 tbsp butter, diced
7 oz feta
2 tsp pepper

Remove the leaves and silk from each of the ears of corn.  While standing each corn on its flat tip, shave off the corn kernels.  Put all of the corn kernels into a sauce pan, cover them with the 2 1/4 cup of water and cook for about 15 minutes.

While the corn in cooking, heat up the olive oil in a large saucepan.  Add the onion, garlic and eggplant.  Sauté on medium heat for about 15 minutes- or until the eggplant turns lightly brown.  Add the tomato paste, and mix it up with the vegetables.  Once the paste is absorbed, add the wine and cook for about a minute.  Finally, add the tomatoes, water (7 tbsp), 2 tsp salt, oregano, basil  and jalapeño.  Cook on low heat for about 15 minutes.

While the eggplant is still cooking, drain the water from the corn kernels but keep the leftover liquid.  Add all of the corn into a food processor.  Process until the consistency is mushy (looks like polenta).  Return the liquid and mushy corn into the pan.  Cook for another 10 minutes while stirring it, so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.

When the eggplant and corn polenta have been cooked, stir in the butter and feta cheese into the corn mixture.  Stir well until the butter and cheese have melted, and become incorporated by the corn mixture.  Finally, add 2 tsp of salt and pepper, stir some more so everything is well combined.

Finally, spoon out the polenta on plates (or bowls) and then top it off with some eggplant sauce in the center.  Feel free to sprinkle chopped oregano on top.

Enjoy it with the rest of the bottle of wine!

Blueberry-Rhubarb Crumble

Another favorite that Sam makes.  Fortunately, Whole Foods carries frozen rhubarb, so we can enjoy this year-round.  But it is the best when the rhubarb is fresh (DC area: April-July).

I absolutely love pie, but it is often too sweet for my tastes.  I concocted this recipe several years ago as an alternative to the traditional, oogy-sweet Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie.  It incorporates the tartness of rhubarb, with the sweetness of brown sugar and blueberries.  The Rose Water
subtly enhances the flavor of the berries and the lemon juice adds a refreshing crispness.

It’s a lot of fun watching people try to figure out what exactly is in this pie- so deceiving!

Sam’s Blueberry-Rhubarb Crumble

2 1/2 cups flour
2 sticks of salted butter, cold
10 oz frozen rhubarb (or 4-5 chopped stalks of fresh)
10 oz frozen blueberries
1 tsp Rose Water
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 cup ice-cold water
1 pie tin or pie dish

Filling

Combine rhubarb, blueberries, Rose Water, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  Mix well and set aside at room temperature to macerate for about 30 minutes.

Dough

Add 2 cups of flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and a pinch of salt to your food processor and pulse until well mixed.  Next, add in 2 sticks of very cold, diced butter.  Pulse, and add in 1 1/4 cup of ice water a little at a time, until the mixture is crumbly.  You do not want a ball of dough.

Once you have the right consistency, take out the contents out onto a floured cutting board.  Take half of the mixture, roll it into a ball, wrap with Saran Wrap and put into the fridge for about 30 minutes.  Take the other half of the crumble mix and gently add to a bowl, cover with Saran Wrap and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Once the dough is cold, take out the half you rolled into a ball and covered with Saran Wrap.  Roll out on a well-floured cutting board until it’s about 1/8 of an inch thick.  Drape over the greased pie tin or pie dish.  Gently form into a the mold, and cut away any excess from the edge.

Add the blueberry-rhubarb filling into the pie, and spread evenly.  Make sure not to add too much of the excess liquid (no one likes a soupy pie!).  Top the pie with the remaining crumbly dough (the one in the bowl), I aim for about 90% coverage.

Put the pie on a cookie sheet (in case of spillage), and slide into a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes, or until the topping is golden and bubbly.

St. Patrick’s Guinness Cupcakes

Happy St. Patty’s Day!  We didn’t have any green beer this year, instead we decided to cook a little bit of Irish food at home.  Sam made corned beef and cabbage in the crock pot, and I tried this dish for the first time.  I really enjoyed the saltiness of the meat, delicious!

For dessert, I made some cupcakes.  Since we already had Guinness on hand, I figured this would be a great time to try out a new recipe.  I wanted to add some green sprinkles on top, but we didn’t have any.  The cupcakes had a great chocolate flavor which the beer enhanced.  I didn’t make the frosting too sweet, and the cream cheese flavor still lingered just a bit- yummy!

Also, my first batch had 2 different sized forms, one had the big one’s, while the other had the mini-bites.  I highly recommend the mini bites, the others came out a little dense.

We decided that all cupcakes should have Guinness it them! 

St. Patrick’s Guinness Cupcakes
Adapted from: Bunky Cooks Blog

3/4 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 can of Guinness (14.9 oz)
1 stick of butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cups sour cream
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups confectioners sugar (more can be used)

In a medium bowl beat the cream cheese on medium speed with a hand mixer, until it’s lightly fluffy.  Slowly, beat in the heavy whipping cream.  Then on low speed, slowly mix in confectioners sugar, until it is smooth and incorporated.  Cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.  In a stand mixer, combine the Guinness, butter and vanilla.  Then, one at a time, beat in the eggs.  Finally, mix in the sour cream, until the mixture is smooth.  Slowly, mix in the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

Lightly grease muffin tins.  Divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until they are soft and tender.  Take them out of the oven, and cool them.  Finally, top each cupcake with some of the frosting!