When you have a case of the "feels," you want something familiar, comforting, and cozy. Soothing hot soups, rich and creamy pastas, and snuggly stews. But hot-weather meals usually mean crunchy salads, no-cook dinners, and other foods that can be branded as refreshing.
But sometimes you just want a cheesy, gooey, comforting dinner-even if it is summer. And all that crunching and chomping of summer salads is hardly comforting. So do yourself a favor… and get cooking!
There is something very peaceful and meditative about cooking. Nourishing your body and soul is an act of self-care.
Creamy, Cheesy Oven-Baked Polenta with Blistered Tomatoes and Mushroom Ragu
Creamy and cheesy and pure comfort. A polenta bowl is just what you need when you "had a day"! Oven-baked polenta is a quick, hands-off dish that you can throw together and serve as a main dish or side.
I like the combo of Parmesan and Asiago cheeses; the nutty Parm pairs well with buttery and slightly sweet Asiago. But any cheese will work here, and after all this is a comfort dish.
Serves 4
For the Polenta
1 cup cornmeal
4 cups water
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
½ cup grated asiago (or your favorite cheese)
3 tablespoons butter + butter for greasing baking pan
¾ cup grated parmesan, divided
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish
- Stir together cornmeal, water, salt, and pepper.
- Pour into prepared dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Stir polenta, add cheeses, reserving ½ cup of parmesan for serving.
- Return polenta to oven and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes until very creamy.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
For the Ragu
Sure, you can tuck right into the polenta with no further embellishment, but this is a comfort dish- and sometimes
more
is more.
Extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces favorite mushrooms, sliced (I like a mix of cremini, royal trumpet, and shiitake)
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 pint grape tomatoes
½ cup white wine
2 teaspoons tomato paste
Small handful of torn basil leaves
- Heat a sauté pan, lightly coated with EVOO, over medium heat.
- Sauté mushrooms until golden brown, with crispy edges. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add garlic and tomatoes to the pan. Continue cooking until tomatoes have blistered and burst open (about 7-10 minutes).
- Add white wine and tomato paste. Stir together.
- Continue cooking until a thick sauce has formed. Season to taste.
Spoon Ragu over hot polenta. Garnish with remaining Parm and torn basil.
Panna Cotta
Light as a feather and still richly decadent. This no-bake dessert comes together in minutes and can be riffed on, depending upon what fruit you have on hand. Tangy buttermilk is the hero ingredient here.
Serves 4-6
3 tablespoons cold water
1¾ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1¾ cups heavy cream
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
1½ cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Blackberry-Lime Mash (see below)
Gather 4-6 dessert cups or ramekins.
- Place water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand for 5 minutes until thick.
- Heat cream, sugar, salt, and gelatin in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar has dissolved.
- Add buttermilk and vanilla bean paste.
- Divide mixture into dessert cups or ramekins.
- Chill until set (at least 2 hours).
Blackberry-Lime Mash
I love the flavor of blackberries with lime. This is a quick topper for cake, ice cream and panna cotta. It also makes a lovely base for sangria or a margarita.
3 cups fresh blackberries
½ cup sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lime
¼ cup of water
- Heat blackberries and sugar with water over medium heat, until simmering.
- Lightly mash blackberries, leaving some chunks, and continue cooking until water has evaporated and the mixture is thick.
- Add zest and lime juice.
- Cool before serving.
Laura Frankel is a noted kosher chef, a cookbook author, and Culinary Director for a media company. Currently, she serves as Product Development Specialist at The Spice House.
