Salmon and Polenta

Submitted by Kelsey

4 stars

Polenta

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for grilling or sautéing if desired

* 3/4 cup finely chopped onion

* 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

* 4 cups chicken stock or broth

* 1 cup coarse ground cornmeal

* 3 tablespoons butter

* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

* ¼ cup Parmesan, grated

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute olive oil, onion, garlic, and salt over medium heat until onion is translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes.

Turn the heat up to high, add the chicken stock, bring to a boil. Gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking. Once you have added all of the cornmeal, pour everything into a 2 inch deep square baking dish. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent lumps. Once the mixture is creamy, remove from the oven and add the butter, salt, and pepper to taste. Once they are incorporated, gradually add the Parmesan, stirring with whisk.

Serve as is, or put container in fridge until solid. Cut into triangles and freeze. You can pull out a chunk of polenta and put in the microwave to thaw out, then saute until browned with olive oil or butter.

Salmon Marinade

4 stars

Marinade 4 pieces of salmon in 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper for at least half an hour.  (You can marinade this for up to 24 hours but it needs a minimum of half an hour.)  Sear salmon in a pan on the stove top, then turn temperature down to cook to your liking.  Top with roasted tomatoes, sprinkled with olive oil, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, basil, and oregano.  Note - I have used this simple recipe on chicken, shrimp, and salmon.  It seems to be very versatile and keeps the meat very moist.