Polenta + spinach + black bean strata

Last night, I informed Mr. Onepot that we were about to order Chinese.  Then, out of some poorly defined but quite persistent guilt, I found myself preparing the following:

Polenta+spinach+black bean strata

• 3 cups water + 1 cup milk
• 1.25 cup polenta
• .5 large onion
• 1 can black beans
• .5 lb spinach (fresh, in this case, but surely frozen would also do)
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 egg
• salt, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 380F.
2. Bring the water and milk to a boil.  (Remember that milk will trick you into thinking it’s nowhere near boiling, and then, in less than a second, puff up to an obscene height and spill all over your stove top.  So, sorry to say, you will have to babysit this just a bit.)
3. Once it boils, stir in the polenta and salt.  Turn the heat down to low and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring only occasionally.  (This you don’t have to babysit!  I’ve never understood why people complain about the intense attention polenta requires.  In the Old Country, we treat it roughly and it turns out just fine.)
4. While the milk+water are heating up, start sauteing the onion.  Once it’s soft and happy, add the beans along with a touch of their liquid.  Season ever so generously with paprika and cayenne pepper.
5. After the beans and onions have had, say, 5 minutes to get to know each other, turn the heat off, toss the spinach on top of them, and cover.  The residual heat will cause the spinach to wilt just a touch, making it more manageable.
6. In an altogether unrelated bowl (oh, this is so not a one-pot dish), beat the egg and combine with the yogurt.
7. Layer!  First the polenta, then the beany and spinachy mix, and finally the yogurty egg.
8. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes.

(…In the end, I was so very glad we hadn’t ordered Chinese.)

Our “Lost” treat

We have a tradition of eating fiercely hot, seriously doctored up ramen while watching “Lost.”  So here’s how we rang in the start of the final season:

“Lost” ramen

• 1 package Shin Ramyun per person
• 1 poached egg per person
• 2 shredded carrots
• a touch of shredded ginger
• a fistful of spinach leaves
• 4 chopped scallions

Potato and rutabaga gratin

Our kitchen was still groaning from the post-holiday root vegetable overload when I poked around tonight in search of dinner inspiration.  (Apparently, I have inherited my mom’s inability to match the amount of purchased/prepared food to the number of people who will ultimately consume it.  If I’m able to close the fridge without having to lean against the door, I begin to worry about impending starvation.)  So, look what became of all those taters and rutabagas:

Potato and rutabaga gratin

• 1 lb fingerling potatoes, cubed
• 1 rutabaga, cubed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1.5 cup  buttermilk (fat-free, in our case)
• 2 eggs
• blue cheese crumbles to taste (a small fistful, for instance)
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh dill to taste

1. Place the potatoes, rutabaga, and onion into a shallow baking dish.  Coat with olive oil, salt, pepper.  Bake at 400F for ~25 minutes.
2. Combine the eggs, buttermilk, blue cheese, dill in a mixing bowl; whisk to combine.  Pour over the root vegetables.
3. Continue to bake for another 30 or so minutes, until it’s as tantalizingly delicious as the picture above.

Oatmeal interpretations: egg + salt + pepper

1) Cook the oatmeal.

2) Stir in a loosely scrambled egg.  (No worries; the heat of the oatmeal will cook it.)

3) Season with salt and pepper.

3) Swoon.