Chilled Corn Soup with Tomatoes, Red Peppers and Cilantro
Nicole – This recipe was a multiple step process with the cooking/pureeing/cooling, but worth the effort. It was the perfect dish for a warm summer evening.
K: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up.
N: Thumbs up – good cold and fresh dish for summer.
H: Thumbs up.
Spice-Rubbed Catfish
Nicole – The catfish was easy enough to make, although the amount of seasoning that the recipe called for was a bit overpowering overall. It was a bit spicy for our tastes, and we did not even put in the entire required 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper.
K: Thumbs sideways, there was nothing wrong with it per say, I just think there are better recipes out there for this fish.
R: Thumbs up.
N: Thumbs sideways – after having catfish for lunch the day before I may have OD’d a bit on this fish.
H: Thumbs sideways.
Polenta Triangles
Nicole – I mistakenly chose yet another polenta recipe after we had cooked it in the last dinner night rotation, so I think that the repetition did not help this dish. The taste was fine, but the fact that we did not refrigerate the polenta overnight made for some pretty interesting frying pan action – take it from us, browning soft polenta does not really work.
K: Thumbs sideway.
R: Thumbs sideways - polenta is very hit or miss for me.
N: Thumbs sideways – the taste was great, but it didn’t look very pretty (we served it soft).
H: Thumbs down – I was expecting a little more crust around the polenta but this still had the mushy consistency that I don’t particularly enjoy.
Grilled Pineapple and Avocado Salad with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette
Rissa - Salads can be boring after a while, so finding one like this is always nice! Avocado is super delicious in any salad and the vinaigrette was simple to make but a great compliment to the recipe. I don’t remember if we used watercress..being that I’m not a big fan of watercress I would think we used something else considering how much I loved it! Make again for sure.
K: Thumbs up! This was amazing.
R: Thumbs up!
N: Thumbs way up! This was a delicious salad, and I found myself eating the pineapple and avocado in the bottom of the bowl. I have made this a couple times since the dinner night with repeated success.
H: Thumbs up!
Jake and Earl’s Six-Layer Bars with Chocolate, Pecans, and Coconut
I make 7-layer bars almost every Christmas so they are definitely a favorite of mine. The only difference between the ones I usually make and this recipe was the missing butterscotch chips. Although, these bars still turned out great, I did miss the rich taste of butterscotch. Overall, a good and simple recipe.
K: Thumbs sideways, just not really my cup of tea.
R: Thumbs up. I actually don’t care for butterscotch too much, so this was perfect for me.
N: Thumbs up – gooey and yummy.
H: Thumbs up
Notes from the cookbook:
-make the chilled corn soup the day before
-assemble or make the six-layer bars the day before; if just assembling, bake 4 hours before
-grill the pineapple the day before
-rub the spices on the catfish the night before
-make but do not cook the polenta the day before
RECIPES
Chilled Corn Soup with Tomatoes, Red Peppers, and Cilantro
1 T. olive oil
1 small Spanish onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
8 large ears of corn, kernels scraped off (about 5-6 cups)
1 beefsteak tomato, diced
½ t. black pepper
6-7 cups chicken broth
½ red bell pepper, diced, for garnish
2-3 T. chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Place a large stockpot over medium heat and when it is hot, add the oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until they are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the corn, tomato, and black pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Raise the heat to high, add the broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.
Transfer half the solids to a blender and puree. Transfer all the soup (pureed and chunky) to a bowl, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Garnish with the red bell pepper and cilantro.
Spice-Rubbed Catfish
1 T. dried Greek oregano
2 t. cayenne pepper
1 heaping T. garlic powder
2 t. dried thyme
2 t. Hungarian paprika
1 ½ t. kosher salt
1 t. black pepper
six 6-8 oz. catfish fillets, about 2 ½ - 3 pounds
1 T. olive oil
1 ½ lemons or limes, cut into six slices, for garnish
To make the spice rub: Place the oregano, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl and combine well.
Place the catfish on a large plate and rub both sides with the spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
Prepare the grill or place a large skillet over high heat. If you are grilling, lightly rub each side with the olive oil and place the fish, skin side down, on the grill and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. If you are panfrying, place a large skillet over high heat and when it is hot, add the oil. Add the fish, skin side down, one at a time, allowing the pan to reheat for about 30 seconds between additions. Cook until deeply browned and cooked throughout, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a large platter and serve immediately. Garnish with the lemon.
Polenta Triangles
6 cups water
½ - 1 t. kosher salt
1 ¾ - 2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
½ cup heavy cream
1 T. unsalted butter
1 bunch scallion greens, chopped (optional)
1 T. olive oil
Lightly butter a 9-inch round baking pan.
Place the water and salt in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Gradually pour in the cornmeal, whisking all the while.
When the mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low and book until the cornmeal begins to thicken, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Slowly whisk in the cream, butter, and if desired, the scallions. Continue the cooking until the polenta just begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Pour the polenta into the prepared pan, cover and refrigerate up to overnight. Just before serving, cut into 6 triangles. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and when it is hot, add the oil. Place the triangles on the skillet and cook until browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.
If you want to serve the polenta soft, skip the last step and serve immediately.
Grilled Pineapple and Avocado Salad with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette
2 t. olive oil
2 t. walnut oil
1 T plus 1 t. red wine vinegar or lemon or orange juice
1 t. kosher salt
¼ - ½ t. black pepper
1 pineapple, cut into 12 slices
2 bunches watercress, well washed and torn
3 avocadoes, halved and cut into large dice
To make the vinaigrette: Place the oils, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl and mix well.
Prepare the grill or preheat the broiler.
Place the pineapple slices 4 inches from the heat source and cook until golden, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Cut each slice into 8 triangles.
Divide the watercress between 6 salad plates and top with equal amounts of avocado and pineapple. Drizzle lightly with the vinaigrette. Serve at room temperature.
Jake and Earl’s Six-Layer Bars with Chocolate, Pecans and Coconut
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
12 whole graham crackers (do not use low-fat), crumbled into a powder
¾ cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened is fine)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the butter and graham cracker crumbs in an 8-inch square pan and combine until they are well incorporated. Press down in an even layer.
Sprinkle ½ cup coconut on the graham cracker crust.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the coconut.
Drizzle the condensed milk over the chocolate chips.
Sprinkle the pecans over the condensed milk.
Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup coconut over the pecans and lightly press down. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool. Cut into 9 squares.
Transfer to a platter and serve immediately or cover and store at room temperature overnight.
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