Recipe: Pork Ragu Over Creamy Polenta

Pork Ragu Over Creamy Polenta
Bon Appetit Magazine, March 2015, p. 76
5 stars

This is what I call a "weekend recipe" since it takes about 4 hours to make (with 2.5-3 hrs simmer time).  If you take a look at this recipe, it actually is quite easy; you just need to be around the house to keep an eye on it and stir periodically.

This dish has really great flavor -- I'd make it for guests especially since you can let it cook on its own (instead of hovering over the stove during a dinner party while guests arrive).

Pork ingredients:  boneless pork shoulder, onion, garlic, tomato paste, full-bodied red wine, can of whole peeled tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, kosher salt, pepper, vegetable oil

Polenta ingredients:  coarse (not quick-cooking) polenta, Parmesan, butter, Kosher salt, pepper, fresh parsley, olive oil

Tips:

• As the recipe notes, this is a thick ragu.  To make a little more sauce, I'd add a small can of tomato sauce or an additional can of diced tomatoes.
• I didn't think the olive oil drizzled on top was necessary.

Recipe: Sugar Snap Peas and Oyster Mushrooms in Sherried Cream

Sugar Snap Peas and Oyster Mushrooms in Sherried Cream
Food and Wine Magazine, April 2015, p. 131
4 stars

I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out, but it was quite tasty.  A nice side dish to serve with steak and mashed potatoes.

It's a different vegetable side dish that has the earthiness of the mushrooms, "bright" flavor of the lemon juice and zest, slight hint of sherry, and some creaminess -- plus crispiness of the snow peas.

Ingredients:  oyster mushrooms, shallot, sugar snap peas, dry sherry, heavy cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, canola oil, salt

Tips:

• The grocery store didn't have oyster mushrooms, so we used baby bellas.  They also didn't have fresh snow peas, so I used frozen.
• Use a tad less sherry
• 1/2 a cup of heavy cream is a LOT -- use about 1/4 cup
• Add the snow peas near the end so that they remain crisp 

Recipe: Double-Chocolate Souffles

Double-Chocolate Souffles
Food and Wine Magazine, April 2015, p. 128
5 stars

Let me just say that these are AMAZING!!!!!  And so easy to make -- just 7 ingredients that we usually have around the house so I can whip these up any time!

Ingredients:  unsalted butter, sugar, bittersweet chocolate, kosher salt, milk, unsweetened cocoa powder, eggs

Tips:

• Needed about 19 min bake time (vs. 15).
• To make them even more chocolatey, I added chocolate chips on top when serving.