Parmesan Polenta Souffle

1 Tbsp butter
1 1/3 cups parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp cornmeal
4 egg yolks
salt/pepper to taste
5 egg whites

Heat oven to 425.

1. Butter a 6 qt soufflé dish and dust w/ 2 Tbsp cheese
2. Bring 1 2/3 cups water to boil w/ olive oil and sprinkle in corn meal in a slow steady stream stirring constantly. Cook polenta on medium high for 10 minutes until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat.
3. Beat in egg yolks, and all but 1 Tbsp cheese. Season w/ salt/pepper and set aside.
4. Beat egg whites with pinch of salt on high until they hold peaks, are stiff but still creamy. Gradually blend the egg whites w/ polenta mixture, folding gently.
5. Spoon mixture into prepared pan, smooth top and sprinkle w/ remaining cheese.
6. Bake 25-30 min until soufflé is puffed, brown and firm. Serve immediately.

Chicken Pot pie

 3 chicken breast with a skin on

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt (kosher salt prefer)

      ground black pepper

5 cups chicken stock  

2 chicken  bouillon cubes

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 cups onions, chopped (2 onions)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup  heavy cream

2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes

1  package frozen peas (2 cups)

1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

I cup of frozen green beans

Mushroom / optional

For the pastry

         3 cups all-purpose flour

·         1 1/2 teaspoon    salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

I found if you use leftover of a roasted chicken test way better and fit your pocket better .  But if not follow the recipe.  If you  a vegetarian use vegetable stock and no chicken and double the amount of the veggies, and  add mushrooms

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and  rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roasted  for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the   skin . Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan  heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot (I use Dutch oven), melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce.  Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and  parsely . Mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor  fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour  pules 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten  the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the  egg wash  then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the  dough  with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Go Organic

Organically grown foods higher in cancer-fighting chemicals thanconventionally grown foodsFruits and veggies grown organically show significantly higher levels ofcancer-fighting antioxidants than conventionally grown foods, according to anew study of corn, strawberries and marionberries. The research suggeststhat pesticides and herbicides actually thwart the production of phenolics <chemicals that act as a plant's natural defense and also happen to be goodfor our health. Fertilizers, however, seem to boost the levels ofanti-cancer compounds.The findings appear in the Feb. 26 print edition of the Journal ofAgricultural and Food Chemistry, a peer-reviewed journal of the AmericanChemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. The article wasinitially published Jan. 25 on the journal's Web site.Flavonoids are phenolic compounds that have potent antioxidant activity.Many are produced in plants in response to environmental stressors, such asinsects or competing plants."If an aphid is nibbling on a leaf, the plant produces phenolics to defenditself," says Alyson Mitchell, Ph.D., a food scientist at the University ofCalifornia, Davis, and lead author of the paper. "Bitter or harsh phenolicsguard the plant against these pests."The need for these natural safeguards decreases with the use of herbicidesand pesticides in conventional agriculture. This decrease is reflected inthe total amount of antioxidants the plants produce. "This helps explain whythe level of antioxidants is so much higher in organically grown food,"Mitchell says. "By synthetically protecting the produce from these pests, wedecrease their need to produce antioxidants. It suggests that maybe we aredoing something to our food inadvertently."Mitchell measured antioxidants found in corn, strawberries and a type ofblackberry called a marionberry. "We started with these three due to plantavailability," Mitchell explains, "but we intend to widen our search toinclude tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and a variety of other vegetables. Weexpect these results to be transferable to most produce."The investigation compared the total antioxidants found in foods grownorganically (using no herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers) to foods grownsustainably (in this study fertilizers but no herbicides or pesticides wereused) and conventionally (using synthetic chemicals to protect the plantsand increase yield).The results showed a significant increase in antioxidants in organic andsustainably grown foods versus conventionally grown foods. The levels ofantioxidants in sustainably grown corn were 58.5 percent higher thanconventionally grown corn. Organically and sustainably grown marionberrieshad approximately 50 percent more antioxidants than conventionally grownberries. Sustainably and organically grown strawberries showed about 19percent more antioxidants than conventionally grown strawberries.Antioxidant levels were highest overall in sustainably grown produce, whichindicates that a combination of organic and conventional practices yieldsthe highest levels of antioxidants. "This may reflect the balance betweenadequate nutrition in the form of fertilizers and external pest pressuresbecause of the lack of pesticides and herbicides," Mitchell explains."Originally, the question was just really intriguing to me," says Mitchell,whose research grew naturally from a personal interest in organic foods. "Ifound that the higher level of antioxidants is enough to have a significantimpact on health and nutrition, and it's definitely changed the way I thinkabout my food."

Organic Chicken Marsala Quick Dinner

The Chicken Marsala Quick Dinner is a healthy dish using herb chicken, Marsala wine, and mushroom sauce. It is also very delicious and mouth watering at the same time. For the main ingredient you must pound chicken breast halves to quarter inches in thickness. The bones and skin should have also been removed beforehand. Also ready half a cup of Marsala wine and one cup of sliced Crimini mushrooms. For the rest of the ingredients prepare half a teaspoon each of sea salt and dried oregano. A quarter cup each of all purpose flour and ground black pepper along with four tablespoons each of butter and extra virgin olive oil will also be required. You will also need two tablespoons of fresh oregano and a quarter cup of cooking sherry.

Combine the flour with the sea salt, ground black pepper, and dried oregano. Mix thoroughly to form a mixture. Not get the chicken halves and coat them in the mixture. Then prepare a large skillet by heating it over medium setting and melting butter in oil. Next place the coated chicken and the skillet and cook until brown. Remember to turn them over to evenly cook all sides. Put in the Crimini mushrooms as well as the Marsala wine and the cooking sherry. Cover the skillet and simmer for five minutes. Then remove cover, turn the chicken, and simmer for another five minutes. The dish is best served together with egg noodles or rice on sizzling plates. Place one chicken half on each plate and pour in the mushroom sauce and sprinkle with fresh oregano for the finishing touch. Serve immediately as the flavor is in its peak while the dish is hot.

And of course all organic ....Yum