Grilled Fish With Citrus-Fennel Sauce

This was a fairly light, healthy, and delicious meal that we enjoyed alfresco in our back yard.  I served the fish with a very simple salad (Bibb lettuce + White Belgian Endive + garlic-infused vinaigrette) and some basmati rice.  Enjoy!

Grilled Fish with Citrus-Fennel Sauce
Ingredients

• 3 naval oranges
• 1 pink grapefruit
• 1 fennel bulb (cut off and discard stalks, wash bulb under cold water, thinly slide fennel using a mandoline or similar food slicer)
• 4 tablespoons of dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• filets of white fish (such as tilapia)
• herbes de Provence
• Optional: Smoked Spanish Paprika

Method
Place thinly-sliced fennel into a bowl.  Use a sharp knife to cut away the peel of an orange and then cut out segments over the bowl of fennel (to catch juices).  Place segments into the bowl as they are cut.  Repeat for remaining oranges and grapefruit.  Add dijon mustard, olive oil, some gray sea salt, and some fresh cracked black pepper to the bowl and stir vigorously until everything is well mixed. Set aside.

Preheat grill (it is important for the grill to be well heated and the grate oiled to help prevent the fish from sticking).  Rinse fish filets under cold water and pat dry.  Drizzle fish with extra virgin olive oil and rub over fish to coat.  Sprinkle gray sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, herbes de Provence, and optionally smoked Spanish Paprika over each side of fish.

Grill fish over medium high grill heat.  About 4+ minutes each side depending on grill heat and fish filet thickness until the fish is cooked (no more translucent flesh).  It is important to not touch the fish except to flip and then to remove (the more you mess with the fish while cooking, the more likely it will break apart).

Spoon citrus-fennel sauce over fish just before serving.

Delicious Basmati Rice
Ingredients

• 1 cup Basmati Rice
• 1 - 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large clove of garlic (peeled and chopped)
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 1 dry bay leaf
• 2 cups water

Method
Melt butter in small pot over medium high heat. Once butter is melted, add chopped garlic and mustard seed to the pot. Cook for about 1 - 2 minutes stirring occasionally until garlic and mustard seed are fragrant.  Add rice, water, bay leaf, and a large pinch of gray sea salt.  Bring rice mixture to a low boil, stir well, cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand for another five minutes.  Open pot to remove bay leaf and fluff rice before serving.

Photos of Additional Meals (Recipes Not Included)

As you may have noticed, I have been delinquent in updating the site with additional recipes.  I have taken photos of meals, but never got around to posting the recipe.  So for those who mostly come for the photos ("food porn"), I am posting photos only (no recipe) from several meals.

Linguine with Scallops, Broccoli, and Shrimp; Mixed Greens Salad with Small Heirloom Tomatoes and Fennel

Grilled Watermelon and Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Salad with a Spicy Vinaigrette

Grilled Cedar-Plank Salmon with Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus, Corn on the Cob, and Salad

Homemade Bagels!!

"Spanish Style" Spaghetti and Meatballs

"Spanish Style" simply means I added some typical Spanish flavors to this variation of spaghetti and meatballs (chorizo sausage and roasted sweet red peppers).  For a standard Italian version, you can skip the roasted red peppers and substitute more italian sweet (or hot) sausage for the chorizo.

I may have said this before, but chorizo is my favorite sausage.  The meatballs were incredibly delicious. In fact you could turn this into a party or game watching dish by skipping the spaghetti and making the meatballs and sauce only ("gravy" for our Italian readers).

I generally avoid ground beef when making meatballs.  For me, ground pork (whether plain or with sweet Italian sausage seasoning) is much more flavorful and ground veal adds great flavor and a nice tenderness.  Ground pork (or Italian sausage) and ground veal are also my preferred meat combination when making regular meat sauce for pasta (i.e., non-meatballs).  If you are used to ground beef based meat sauces and meatballs, you will be amazed in the incredible flavor afforded by using pork and veal instead.

While it is more steps/complicated than simply adding store-bought breadcrumbs, roasting bread until brown and soaking in milk packs much more flavor and takes your meatballs to a higher level of pleasure with every bite.

Wine: A nice full-bodied red from Italy, Spain, Portugal or South America -- Antiyal from Chile is an excellent wine for this meal.  Antiyal is produced using biodynamic methods and has been rated 90+ for every vintage by Wine Spectator.  Let it breathe for 30 minutes before drinking for maximum experience.

"Spanish Style" Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients

• 2 links of raw pork chorizo sausage (be sure to use the raw variation as some chorizo is available pre-cooked, which will not work in this recipe.  Remove and discard the casings)
• 1/2 lb of bulk sweet italian sausage
• 1/2 lb of ground veal
• 2 thick slices of Italian bread (Cubed. Roughly 2 unpacked cups worth when cubed)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of milk
• 7 cloves of garlic (peeled with top ends removed. Divide into 3 cloves for the meatballs, minced, and 4 cloves for the sauce, thinly sliced) 
• 1 egg (cracked into a small bowl and beaten to a smooth consistency)
• small handful of flat-leaf Italian parsley (rinse under cold water and shake dry. Pick leaves from stems, discarding stems. Finely chop.  Should produce about 1/2 cup of unpacked finely chopped parsley)
• 2 Ancient Sweets, or substitute 2 red marconi peppers, or substitute 2 red bell peppers (Ancient Sweets are increasingly available at the grocery store and offer a wonderful sweet flavor when roasted)
• 28oz can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (you can substitute regular crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce)
• 6oz can of tomato paste
• 1/2 cup worth of fresh basil (rinse under cold water and shake dry. Pick leaves from stems, discarding stems. Chop)
• Optional: 1/2 cup of the full-bodied red wine you are drinking
• Optional: 1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes for spiciness 
• 1 box of your favorite spaghetti
• Grated Italian hard cheese for topping (Parmigiana Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, or similar)

Method
Prepare Meatballs:  Preheat oven to 365 degrees (F).  Place bread cubes on a dry pan and roast in the oven until hard and brown coloring is achieved (15 - 20 minutes typically).  This adds a depth of flavor to the bread, which will add depth to the meatballs.  Remove bread from oven and place in a medium sized bowl.  Crush or break down bread to smaller bits (to the point of removing gaps between previously larger pieces such that it packs smaller into the bottom of the bowl).  Pour milk over bread until just covered.  Let it soak for at least 5 minutes until bread is soft again and most of the milk has been absorbed.

Have a cookie sheet or other large flat surface covered with wax paper prepared to stage your meatballs before cooking.  In a large mixing bowl, combine chorizo, italian sausage, ground veal, minced garlic, egg, parsley, prepared bread mixture, a healthy pinch of gray sea salt, and some fresh cracked black pepper.  Use your clean hands to thoroughly mix the ingredients until the mixture in consistent throughout (the best tool for the job).  The meatball mixture may be a little wetter than you are used to -- this is a good thing as it will translate into super tender meatballs. Grab enough meatball mixture into your hands and roll between palms to form a ball slightly larger than a golf ball (again, it will be slightly wet and sticky), and place on your wax paper staging area.  Repeat forming meatballs until all of the meat mixture is used.

Roast Peppers: Wash peppers under cold water.  Place on an aluminum-foil lined baking pan that has edges so any juice produced does not run off. Place oven rack near top and turn oven onto broil.  Place peppers under broiler (a few inches of clearance) and broil, turning peppers when the side facing the broiler turns mostly black and blistered.  Continue until both peppers are blistered and black on all sides.  Removed peppers from oven.  Carefully lift the aluminum foil with peppers out of the baking pan and place in a freezer to cool down to be handled.  After 10 - 15 minutes, remove peppers from freezer.  The peppers should be shriveled at this point.  Using your hands, pull blistered skins off the peppers.  The flesh of the pepper should not be black, instead a nice roasted variation of the original pepper color.  Tear open (they typically fall apart some) and remove the top stem part and all seeds.  It takes patience, but it is better to hand remove all of the skin and seeds without rinsing under water (which washes away the great flavored natural oils).  Tear cleaned, roasted pepper flesh into bite size pieces.

Start Sauce:  Heat a large pot (large enough to fit meatballs and sauce) over medium heat.  Once warm, add some olive oil to prevent sticking.  Add sliced garlic and optionally add crushed red pepper flake and saute for 1 minute, stirring to prevent sticking.  Optionally add red wine to the pot and cook for 1 minute to get a head start on cooking out alcohol.  Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, roasted red peppers, basil and a pinch or gray sea salt.  Turn up heat to medium high a bring to a light boil before reducing heat to low.  Place a lid on the pot but leave slightly ajar so some steam can escape.  Continue to cook on low.

Cook Meatballs:  Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Once warm, add some olive oil to the skillet.  Place as many meatballs in the skillet that will comfortably fit in a single layer with some room in between to allow you to turn meatballs.  Cook meatballs occasionally gently shaking skillet to prevent sticking.  If meatballs do not roll over via moving the skillet on their own, use a spoon to carefully roll over meatballs to cook each side until the entire outside is cooked.  Place completed meatballs into pot with tomato sauce and repeat cooking meatballs until all are cooked and in the sauce pot.  The meatballs should continue to cook in the tomato sauce over low for 20 minutes to ensure they are cooked throughout.

Cook Pasta:  Use the intro in the Linguine and Clams recipe to properly cook the pasta.

Assemble and Finish: Place the cooked and drained pasta back in the large pasta cooking pot.  Carefully pour the tomato sauce and meatballs over the pasta and carefully stir to combine (careful not to break up the meatballs).  Serve with grated cheese and enjoy!

NOTE: The photos below are from a doubling of the recipe as we had another family over as guests for the meal.

Tilapia in Simple Artichoke and Caper Sauce with Roasted Potatoes

This is a relatively simple dish to prepare on a week night.  The roasting of the potatoes is what takes the longest.  So if you are in more of a hurry, substitute a rice that cooks in 20 minutes total and the whole meal could be made in less than 30 minutes.

Given the amount of artichoke hearts, the best option is to buy a bag of frozen artichoke hearts.  It saves a lot of time and prep versus starting with fresh whole artichokes, and is much less expensive than the marinated artichoke hearts that are sold in jars.

Tilapia in Simple Artichoke and Caper Sauce
Ingredients

• 5 - 6 fillets of Tilapia (rinsed under cold water and patted dry)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup of white wine
• 1 bag of frozen artichoke hearts (defrost artichoke hearts under running water)
• 1 handful of capers (rinsed and drained)
• 1 large handful of flat-leaf Italian parsley (rinse parsley under cold water and shake off excess water. pick leaves off of stems--discard stems; rough chop parsley)
• 1 lemon (cut in half to squeeze lemon juice)
• 1 cup of flour (for coating fish)

Method
Sprinkle gray sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper on both sides of each Tilapia filet.  Lightly coat both sides of filet with flour, shaking off any excess flour.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large, non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Once butter starts to bubble and turn a little brown, place as many filets as will comfortably fit in a single layer in the skillet.  Saute each side of the filets until golden brown and flesh is no longer translucent (work in batches setting aside cooked filets on a clean plate; squeeze fresh lemon juice from one half of the lemon on the filets as you set them aside).  After all the fish is cooked and no longer in the skillet, add the artichoke hearts, capers, and wine to the skillet.  Bring the mixture to a boil (may need to turn heat up some) and boil for 1 to 2 minutes to cook out alcohol and reduce liquid some; use a wooden spoon to scrap up any brown bits and mix into the liquid while it's cooking.  Turn off heat and stir in parsley, fresh squeezed juice from the remaining lemon half, and 1 tablespoon of butter.  Serve fish on plate and spoon artichoke and caper sauce of each serving.

Roasted Potatoes in Dill Sauce
Ingredients

• Fingerling or Yukon Gold potatoes (clean and cut off any impurities; cut into bite-size chunks; get enough potatoes to produce about 1 cup per person to be served)
• 3/4 cup of greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons of dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup worth of fresh dill (rinse under cold water; pick fronds from stems, discarding stems; roughly chop)

Method
Preheat oven to 365 degrees (F). Sprinkle gray sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and about 1/3 of the prepared dill over potatoes.  Place potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a silpat (silicon baking mat) or a lightly oiled piece of aluminum foil.  Roast in oven for 40 - 50 minutes until potatoes achieve some golden coloring and appear completely cooked.  In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt, mustard, and remaining dill.  Spread mixture over potatoes and toss well until potatoes are well coated.

Valentine's Surf and Turf

A special meal for a special event.  Here are some tips for cooking the perfect filet or other prime cut of meat:

• Allow meat to sit out for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking.  Allowing the meat to get closer to room temperature will enable it to cook more properly between the outside and the inside.
• Generously salt and pepper the steak before cooking using gray sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper (in general this is all you need--a good sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  Do not use table salt)
• Use a heavy bottom skillet/pan that is oven safe.  Proper pans that are thick (heavy bottom) distribute heat much more evenly and make a big difference in cooking (In my opinion, the pans make a bigger difference than whether you have a top commercial grade gas range or an old fashion electric coil stovetop, like me).  Thin pans tend to burn food more easily as the heat tends to be very uneven.  I use All-Clad, but there are many quality heavy bottom pans available.
• Do not use non-stick pans when cooking a steak.  You want to have a good sear and high temperatures which tends to be incompatible with non-stick pans
• Use a "high heat" oil, such as canola, safflower (a favorite high heat oil of mine), or vegetable oil instead of olive oil (again you want to go to high heat to properly sear the meat)
• Start on a medium high stovetop with a hot skillet, finish in the oven (400 degrees)
• Do not use thin cuts for steaks (unless you prefer well done; which, I'm sorry, is not the proper way to eat a steak)
• After pulling the finished steak out of the oven, allow it to rest 15 to 20 minutes in the pan before serving or cutting.  This is a cardinal rule for juicy and tender steaks (and most meats).  Cutting the meat too early or placing the hot steak on a cold plate will cause all of the natural juices to run out and leave behind a tough, dry steak.  Allowing the steak to rest and slowly come down from the high heat will redistribute the juices throughout the meat leaving a juicy and tender meat you will love.
• Generally, you can tell to what "temperature" a steak is done by the amount of give when poking or touching the meat (via kitchen tongs or directly with finger).  You can simulate the doneness of steak by touching the tip of your thumb to the tip of each finger on the same hand and pressing/poking the fleshing portion of your palm at the base of your thumb.  Thumb to forefinger is rare to medium rare. Thumb to middle finger is medium rare to medium. Thumb to little finger is well done, aka dead.

I served this meal with Caesar salad. The recipe is included in Linguine and Clams with Caesar Salad

Valentine's Surf and Turf
Ingredients

• 2 lobster tails (if frozen, defrost under running water)
• 2 filet mignons
• large bag of crimini mushrooms (use a damp paper towel to brush dirt off the mushrooms, do not clean mushrooms under running water as the mushrooms are like sponges and the water will wash out some of the flavor)
• 1 shallot (peeled and minced)
• 1 clove of garlic (peeled and minced)
• 1/4 cup of dry sherry wine
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• unsalted butter (set out to allow it to soften some)
• 1/4 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 3 tablespoons worth of chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 lemon
• blue cheese (enough to top two filets)

Method
Prepare Lobster Tails: Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add a small handful of kosher salt and half of a squeezed lemon (add the fresh squeezed juice and the lemon half itself to the water).  Add the lobster tails and cook for about 5 minutes (a good portion of the shells should turn red).  Remove the lobster tails from the water with tongs and place in a prepared ice water bath to stop the cooking process.  Once cold, remove the lobsters and use a large, heavy knife to split the tails down the middle length wise (cut from the top of the tail down the middle length wise; you made need to hit the back of the knife with the flat of your hand to break through the shell).  Examine the split lobster tails and remove any central vein so there is only meat and the outer shell. It is okay, even preferred, if the center of the flesh is still translucent and not completely cooked (it will be finished in the oven under the broiler).  Over cooking shell fish makes the meat rubbery.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh tarragon, and 2 tablespoons of butter.  Mix well.  Spread the cheese mixture over the exposed flesh of the lobster tails.  Place the lobster tails on an aluminum foil lined baking pan and place under the broiler in the oven until the cheese has melted and developed a little brown coloring (about 3 - 4 minutes).  Once removed from the oven, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the lobster tails before serving.  Optionally, you can melt some butter in a small bowl or ramekin for dipping the lobster meat in.  Add a pinch of good sea salt and some fresh squeezed lemon juice to the butter.

Prepare Mushrooms:  I prepared the mushroom side in a parchment paper packet ("en papillote"), however I am simplifying the recipe here.  Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Add shallot and saute for 2 minutes.  Add garlic, whole mushrooms, and a good pinch of gray sea salt and saute for another 2 minutes.  Add rosemary and sherry and increase heat to bring liquid to a boil.  Allow sherry liquid to boil for about 2 minutes to cook out the alcohol and for the liquid to reduce some.  Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to saute for 5 to 10 minutes to complete cooking (do not cook the liquid completely out).

Prepare Filets:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium high heat on the stovetop.  Once hot, add a few tablespoons of high heat oil to the skillet to prevent sticking.  Place filets that have been salted, peppered, and allowed to get closer to room temperature (see tips in intro) in hot skillet.  Sear each side for about 2 to 3 minutes, turning meat over once the first side is properly seared with kitchen tongs.  You want to get a good crust on the outsides.  Place the oven-safe skillet with filets in the oven to finish cooking.  5 minutes before being done to your liking (judged based on give to touch -- generally about 10 minutes in), carefully remove skillet from oven using oven mitts.  Place a thin layer of blue cheese on both of the filets, and place back in the oven.  Continue to roast until the cheese is melted.  Remove from the oven and allow the filets to rest in the pan for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Speck and Brie Whole-wheat Flatbread

This flatbread (aka thin-crust pizza) turned out delicious.  I am thinking of making it again as an appetizer for an upcoming party at the neighbors.  Next time I may try blending whole-wheat and unbleached bread flour 50/50.  The actual flatbread part of this recipe is a basic recipe for Indian naan bread (at least how I make it) using whole wheat instead of unbleached bread flour, and some olive oil instead of melted butter.

This speck and brie flatbread is crazy good with a good pinot noir to drink.  Pinot noir really pairs well with the flavors of the speck, which is a sort of smoked prosciutto (how can that be bad?), and the brie cheese.

Speck and Brie Whole-wheat Flatbread
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of whole-wheat bread flour (or try a 50/50 mix with unbleached bread flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup of low-fat or zero-fat greek yogurt (I'm a big fan of the FAGE yogurt.. an amazing and amazingly good for you product)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil (if making naan, use 4 tablespoons of melted butter instead)
• 2 cups worth of fontina cheese (shredded)
• 1 package of speck (if not in packages, be sure to ask for very thin slices; about 10 slices)
• 1 wedge of brie cheese (amount will vary depending on number and sizes of pizzas)
• 1/4 cup of blanched almond slivers (toast until a light brown color in a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat)
• fresh basil

Method

Prepare Flatbread Dough: Sift (you can pour the dry ingredients through a fine mesh strainer into the mixing bowl) the flour, baking powder, and sea salt into a large mixing bowl.  Add the yogurt and olive oil.  Stir all of the ingredients with a large wooden spoon until mostly mixed and becoming difficult to stir. Use your hands to continue to mix and begin to knead the dough. Knead the dough either in the bowl or on a floured surface for a good 5 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic or place a damp, clean, kitchen towel completely over the mixing bowl with the dough inside.  Let the dough rest for 2 hours.  The dough will not rise like a yeast based dough (it will stay the same size).

Make the Pizzas: Preheat pizza stone in a 400 degree (F) oven.  If you don't have a pizza stone, preheat oven and then preheat a dry, rimmed metal baking sheet.  On a floured surface, roll out flatbread dough to a thin layer and of the desired pizza size.  Cook flatbread on hot pizza stone or baking sheet for 3 minutes (the dough may inflate into a large pillow while in the oven).  Carefully remove flatbread from oven on a pizza peel (if using a pizza stone) or by removing the baking sheet from the oven.  Sprinkle shredded fontina cheese to make a thin layer across flatbread (the flatbread should have deflated after being removed from the oven). Place a layer of speck slices across top of fontina cheese layer.  Hand-tear fresh basil and place over speck such that there will be some basil with each slice of cooked flatbread.  First thinly slice brie (about 1 mm thick) and cut into bite-size pieces (about 1 inch square).  Place brie on the next layer of the flatbread with about 2 inches of separation between brie pieces (the brie will melt and spread).  Sprinkle toasted almond slivers over top of assembled flatbread.  Place flatbread back in the oven (either on the pizza stone or still on the baking sheet) and bake until the cheese is melted and starting to show some brown color, and crust is crisp. Repeat until all of the dough is used.

Rustic Chicken Cacciatore and Thyme-infused Cheese Polenta

This meal was inspired by basically the same dish made by Chef Fabio on a recent episode of Top Chef Masters.  I couldn't find Fabio's recipe for chicken cacciatore online, so I created my own adaptation.  This is a slow cooked meal and great to serve family style.

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients

• Cut up chicken (2 chicken breasts, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks all with skin and bones intact.  Rinse chicken under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel)
• flour for lightly covering chicken
• 1 red bell pepper and 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 medium to large sweet onion (peeled, quartered and thinly sliced)
• 4 cloves of garlic (peeled and thinly sliced)
• 1 large can and 1 small can of peeled whole plum tomatoes (drained)
• 2 cups of white wine (such as pinot grigio/gris)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup worth of fresh oregano (washed, leaves picked off of stems, roughly chopped)

Method

Roast Peppers: Wash peppers under cold water.  Place on an aluminum-foil lined baking pan that has edges so any juice produced does not run off. Place oven rack near top and turn oven onto broil.  Place peppers under broiler (a few inches of clearance) and broil, turning peppers when the side facing the broiler turns mostly black and blistered.  Continue until both peppers are blistered and black on all sides.  Removed peppers from oven.  Carefully lift the aluminum foil with peppers out of the baking pan and place in a freezer to cool down to be handled.  After 10 - 15 minutes, remove peppers from freezer.  The peppers should be shriveled at this point.  Using your hands, pull blistered skins off the peppers.  The flesh of the pepper should not be black, instead a nice roasted variation of the original pepper color.  Tear open (they typically fall apart some) and remove the top stem part and all seeds.  It takes patience, but it is better to hand remove all of the skin and seeds without rinsing under water (which washes away the great flavored natural oils).  Tear cleaned, roasted pepper flesh into bite size pieces.

Make Cacciatore: Place some flour in a large, shallow bowl. Salt (using gray sea salt) and pepper (fresh cracked black pepper) the chicken pieces, then roll/dredge each one in the flour and shake off any excess flour.  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large heavy saute pot (large enough to comfortable hold all of the chicken at once).  Once melted, add about 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Working in batches, place as many floured chicken pieces in the pot as will comfortably fit in a single layer (typically about 3 pieces at a time).  Saute each side over medium high heat until the skin is browned (around 3 - 5 minutes each side).  Remove browned chicken from pot to make room for next batch.  Set aside browned chicken on a plate once all pieces are browned.

Add onion to the pot the chicken was browned in and saute, stirring regularly, until onions caramelize (around 5 - 6 minutes).  Add sliced garlic to pot and peeled tomatoes one tomato at a time, crushing or tearing over the pot into bite-sized chunks.  Add wine, roasted bell pepper pieces, bay leaf, and a good pinch of gray sea salt to the pot. Turn up heat and bring mixture to a low boil.  Continue on low boil for another 2 - 3 minutes to accelerate cooking the alcohol out, stirring regularly to prevent burning on the bottom.  Reduce heat to medium low, add browned chicken and fresh oregano to the pot and stir to mix contents.  Place lid on pot slightly ajar (to allow steam to escape and mixture to reduce while cooking).  Cook on medium low (about 25% heat) for about 45 minutes, occasionally lifting lid to stir the contents.

Thyme-infused Cheese Polenta

Ingredients

• 1 cup of instant polenta
• 4 cups of chicken stock
• About 3 heaping tablespoons worth of fresh thyme leaves (wash thyme under cold water; pick leaves off of stems; discard stems)
• 1 cup of grated Italian hard cheese (choose Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, or Grana Padano)
• optional: 2 – 3 tablespoons of truffle-infused olive oil (use less amount if using pure white truffle oil)

Method

In medium saute pan, bring the chicken stock to a boil over medium high heat.  Once boiling, reduce heat to lowest setting and slowly stream in polenta while stirring.  Once all of the polenta has been added to the pot, add the thyme and continue to stir until polenta reaches desired consistency (about 5 minutes).  Turn off heat and stir in cheese, mixing until well incorporated.  Optionally stir in truffle oil.