roasted garlic polenta dippers

Here is an unknown fact about myself:

January 29th, 2013, was the very first time I’ve ever roasted a head of garlic.

There is absolutely no good reason for this, and now I’m kicking myself for waiting 29 1/2 years to try it.  What the heck??

It’s not a complicated process.  All you have to do is cut the ends off, pour on butter/ghee/oil and roast for about 30 minutes.  Seriously, that’s it.

And then you’re left with these delectable little nuggets you see below. 

Beyond cooking, photographing, photo editing, blogging, and working on edits for the book, I’m in the process of designing a new photography website.

I thought we were talking about garlic?  Nice segue, lady.

My old site was meant to be a quick placeholder that ended up place-holding for about 1 1/2 years.  Love how that happens.  I’m hoping to have it up + running in the next 2 weeks.  But for now, here is a preview of a few things you’ll soon find:

• home page with sliding gallery
• portfolio page – food
• portfolio page – family – photos enlarge when thumbnail is clicked and are easily scrolled through
• a handful of other portfolio pages

pages: home // about // pricing // contact // blog // portfolio [with drop down menu] // iPhone

My goal with the new site is a simple and straightforward design that really make the photos pop.  My current portfolio is in dire need of updating, so I cannot wait to launch this!

One other thing that definitely needs to happen in the near future is a logo design.  I feel like my design/graphic skills are decent, but when it comes to logos I’m always completely stumped!  I know I want something that is similar between edible perspective + ashley mclaughlin photography, but that’s about as far as I’ve gotten. 

Now back to these crunchy but chewy little dippers.

Basically, you make polenta. 

Polenta grits + water + stir.

Let it chill. 

Bake. Flip. Bake.

Spread on delicious garlicky goodness.

Bake.

Devour.

Share at a party.

Maybe this Sunday?

Or, turn into a dip-tastic dinner.

I choose option #2.

Print this!

Roasted Garlic Polenta Dippers

gluten-free + vegan option // yields 21-24 dippers

adapted from: polenta pizza

• 1 whole head garlic
• 3-4 tablespoons ghee/butter/olive oil/earth balance, divided
• 1 cup uncooked polenta grits
• 3 cups water, unless otherwise specified on package
• salt + pepper
• marinara or pizza sauce

for the roasted garlic:

1. Preheat your oven to 400* F.
2. Peel the outer layers from the head, but let the skin on the individual cloves remain.
3. Slice the tips off the head, so each clove is exposed.  Refer to the first photo in this post.
4. Place on a sheet of foil, exposed side up, and pour 1 tablespoon melted butter, ghee, earth balance, or olive oil over top.
5. Cover tightly with foil, place in an oven-safe ramekin [or other small oven-safe dish], and roast for 25-30 minutes, until tender.
6. Let cool and squeeze each clove out from the skin.  Set aside.

for the polenta dippers:

1. Line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Cook polenta according to package directions with 1/4 teaspoon salt.  This can vary depending on if you have quick-cooking polenta or regular, so refer to your package.
3. Cook until very thick and stiff.  It should be difficult to stir.
4. Spoon into the parchment lined pan and spread it firmly + evenly to the edges.
5. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes, or until fully chilled. 
6. In the last 10 minutes of chilling, preheat your oven to 450* F.
7. Remove the polenta from the pan and slice into dippers.  About 1 1/4 x 3 inches in size.
8. Spread onto a large baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
9. Flip and bake another 10 minutes.
10. Chop the roasted garlic and combine with 2-3 tablespoons of melted ghee/butter/earth balance.
11. Flip the dippers again, spread on the roasted garlic mixture, a generous sprinkle of salt + pepper, and bake for 3-5 minutes.
12. Serve warm with dipping sauce of choice.

The edges become crispy and firm, while the inside remains chewy and tender.  Quite the combo!

Looking for a few easy sauce recipes?  Try these!

• Garlic Oregano Pizza Sauce
• Simple Red Sauce
• Rosemary Red Wine Marinara

Happy weekend!

Ashley 

spaghetti squash stuffed shells

When I was a kid my grandparents used to take our family out to dinner every single Saturday night.  For years.  They continued after I went to college.  Everyone knew they were always invited.  Dinner was at 5pm, give or take a half hour.  Sometimes all 10 of us were there, sometimes 6, but the number didn’t matter.  90% of the time they let one of 4 grandkids pick the restaurant.  For many years my brother and I were the only grandkids, which meant I got to choose a lot.  I can’t even begin to explain how generous [among other things] my grandparents were.  I could write a book about it.

Anyway.  There was one Italian restaurant we went to time + time again.  Fazios!  I was kind of a picky kid growing up.  Not terrible but not great.  My parents probably remember more specifics.  So, at this one specific restaurant I would always order stuffed shells.

Three jumbo stuffed shells.  Filled with ricotta cheese and smothered in red sauce.  We probably ate there 30 times over the course of Saturday dinners and that is the only thing I ever ate.  I tried to branch out once but regretted my decision.

Now how is it possible that I’ve never made stuffed shells at home?  Really, they are too easy.

So what’s with the spaghetti squash in the recipe?  Well, I decided to spruce things up a bit.  My taste buds have evolved since I was a kid, and I figured the recipe should reflect that.

The spaghetti squash does make this a bit of a more time intensive recipe, but the hands on time barely changes.  Plan a night where you’ll have a bit more time to be in the kitchen. You can also prep the squash [and sauce!] a day or two ahead and have it ready to go.

If you aren’t typically a pasta lover I urge you to give this a try.  I would relate it more to lasagna. 

If you sort of like spaghetti squash but don’t like scarfing down an entire bowl of it, this may be more your speed.

It adds a lovely little crunch with every bite.

I was obsessed with every single bite of this comforting meal.  The best part?  There are piles of leftovers!  Unless you invite grandma + grandpa over…I wish!

Print this!

Spaghetti Squash Stuffed Shells

gluten-free option // serves about 6

• 1 medium spaghetti squash [3 cups cooked]
• 1 box jumbo pasta shells [gluten free if needed – this box had 4 servings]
• about 48ozthick pasta sauce [or 1 1/2 standard jars]
• 1 cup full fat ricotta cheese
• 2 1/2 cups chopped baby spinach
• 3/4 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• parmesan cheese
• oil/salt/pepper [for the squash]

1. Preheat your oven to 400*. 
2. Slice your spaghetti squash lengthwise and rub the inside and rims with about 1/2 tablespoon of oil [for each half] and sprinkle with salt + pepper.
3. Place on a parchment lined pan cut side down and roast for 45-55min until tender and the squash can be easily pulled apart with a fork.
4. Flip over and let cool for 10-15min then pull the squash out with the help of a fork.  Set aside.
5. While the squash is baking, cook your pasta shells according to package directions.  Rinse with cold water to help prevent sticking.  *Make sure not to overcook because they will cook a bit more in the oven.
6. Mix the spaghetti squash, ricotta, spinach, mushrooms, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper until combined.  Start with 1/4t salt + pepper.  Taste, then add more if needed.
7. Preheat your oven to 350* and take out a 9x13 pan and a 9x9 pan.
8. Pour out just enough sauce to coat the bottom of each pan.
9. Stuff each shell [carefully] until the filling is flush with the bottom. ~30-32 shellsThe amount may vary depending on what brand you use.  I used Tinkyada, which are the only GF shells I can find.
10. Place the shells stuffed side down in the pan so that they are slightly touching one another.
11. Coat each shell with about 2 tablespoons [heaping scoop] of sauce and spread around.
12. Cover with foil and bake for 15min.  Then uncover and bake for 10min.
13. Turn your broiler on low, sprinkle the tops with parmesan, and broil for 3-5 minutes watching closely until the cheese is bubbly.
14. Garnish with fresh rosemary, basil, or parsley if desired.

notes:  Make sure to use a thick pasta sauce to avoid excess liquid in the pan.  I made a double batch of my favorite red sauce recipe with fresh rosemary, simmered it for 20 minutes, blended it with my immersion blender, then let it simmer for 30 more minutes until it was nice and thick.  The brand of shells I mentioned above worked perfectly.  Their texture was great and they didn’t fall apart at all.

I prepped the squash and sauce the night before with a total hands on time of about 15 minutes.  Totally worth it!

Time for dessert.  I mean leftovers.

Ashley