it's tempting to resent the rain. i'm trying to embrace it. sort of.

as much as we should cook

for the seasons -

buy tomatoes in august,

oranges in january,

asparagus in april -

it's often so much more

tempting to cook for

the weather.

because you can toss

peas with favas and artichokes

as much as you want -

and you may even

like it -

but it won't help anyone

forget that it's been

raining in new jersey

for three weeks, easy.

it won't make you pass over

the details, like

everyday, you come home with

your shoes looking a little

worse for the wear and

the hem of your pants,

wet again.

it will be hard to recognize

that even though it seems

like salad season,

you really just want

a bowl of soup.

or this polenta,

which i was recently reminded of.

the first time i made this,

years ago, it was hot outside

(august, hot) and by the time

i had finished stirring the pot

over a high flame and a

piping hot oven, the last

thing i wanted to do was

actually eat a slice.

so since, i have saved it for

fall

winter

and, now, apparently,

gloomy junes.

vegetarian, very fast and easy,

the only thing required is a little

forethought,

or more appropriately,

proper mise en place -

very important because

almost all of your time will

be spent, stirring the polenta

nonstop, waiting for it to come to

a boil, and after,

making sure it doesn't scorch on

the bottom.

then once this quick cooking

polenta is thick, creamy and smooth,

you quickly stir in

garlic

basil

blue cheese

salt and pepper,

before spreading it evenly into

a skillet or deep pan.

once everything is level,

take the opportunity

to slow down, because the polenta

isn't going anywhere.

this is when you can add toppings,

in an orderly fashion,

or haphazardly, depending on

which style suits you best.

tomatoes,

garlic,

mozzarella

and

more blue.

slide the skillet into

the oven and then you have

18 minutes

to make a salad.

polenta as a meal, is

a wonderful, delicious

idea, but i always feel

like we need some greens

to balance out the wedge

on the plate.

when the table's set,

the salads are out

and everything smells

so good, you can

just picture the cheese

browning and bubbling

around the edges,

pull it from the oven,

and then - and i'll warn

you, this is the hardest part -

wait.

this waiting step,

in addition to upping the original

cooking time by two minutes,

took me sadly too long

to figure out, but thank goodness

i finally did. now, i can pass

this recipe onto you without

an asterick, that would let

you know that this dish

tastes amazing, but will not

cut into a proper wedge

warm and will look

an absolute mess on

the plate.

the polenta comes out

very hot and the last thing

it wants to do is conform

into whatever cut shape

you desire. no, it is very

content to be scooped

out, looking more like

mush, or maybe to be polite

and fair to our main meal,

soft polenta.

but...like all things great,

this polenta shouldn't be rushed.

give the skillet a few extra

minutes in the oven.

once on the table,

let it hang out, get used to

its surroundings while

you enjoy your salad.

then.

and only then.

you can slice past the

(semi-seasonal!)

juicy tomatoes and

fragrant basil,

though the two cheeses -

one for melting and one

for flavor -

into the creamy, but firm,

cornmeal,

and it will be ready to

comply and come much

closer to resembling

the triangular wedge

you intended.

once on the plate,

cozy up to it. settle

in. pretend it's winter

and not a march day in

june. remember that yes,

it's raining, yes it's gross outside

and yes, it's unbelievably

annoying. but if it wasn't,

you'd probably be eating

something else.

baked blue cheese polenta with tomatoes and basil

adapted from bon appetit magazine

a big plus for this recipe is that once you've stirred the cornmeal into a creamy base and added the ingredients, you can taste the mixture (swiftly) and decide what else it needs. it was this grace period that made me decide to up the basil and add both garlic and blue cheese to the polenta - not just sprinkle it on top. i also use grape tomatoes instead of cherry, toss in more garlic and extra grated mozzarella. i use whatever blue i happen to have, but if you're in the store shopping, look for one that melts well, like buttermilk, point reyes or danish. feel free to increase or decrease the amounts, depending on what you love.

also, i usually prepare everything - halve the tomatoes, chop the garlic, grate and crumble the cheeses - ahead of time. except for the basil, because i don't want it to brown. so instead, i pluck 20 to 30 leaves, lay them into two piles and once the polenta is done, very quickly, roll them into a cigar and slice thinly.

4 cups water

1 1/3 cups cornmeal

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped and divided

30 large basil leaves, or more

6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled and divided

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 1/4 cups grated part-skim mozzarella cheese

heat oven to 450˚f. coat 12" skillet with a heatproof handle with cooking spray; set aside. (if your skillet's handle is not heatproof, or you're not sure, just wrap it twice with aluminum foil - like i do - to ensure that nothing but the cheese melts in the oven. warning: regardless of if it's wrapped or not, you'll still need an oven mitt to remove the pan from the oven.)

in large saucepot, combine water, cornmeal and salt. bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. reduce heat to medium-low and cook 3 minutes more, or until polenta becomes very thick and pulls away from the pan, whisking constantly. remove from heat; whisk in olive oil and half chopped garlic. quickly roll basil into cigar shape and thinly slice; sprinkle half on top of polenta. add 2 ounces blue cheese; whisk to combine. season with kosher salt and black pepper, to taste.

transfer polenta to prepared skillet, patting evenly. sprinkle with remaining garlic and grape tomatoes; press tomatoes slightly into polenta. sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, remaining blue cheese and remaining basil, slicing more basil, if necessary.

bake 18 minutes, or until cheese is browned around the edges and bubbling. remove from oven and let sit 10 to 15 minutes. cut into wedges to serve.

the perfect compromise

i'm sure it's not easy to live 

with me. i mean of course,

i'm lovely to live to with,

(right, lar?), but 

i'm probably

not always the most

fun person

to prepare

your dinner.

i don't eat red meat,

or most things associated with it,

i'm not wild about chicken

or turkey

and although

i love fish and seafood,

i can often go weeks

without making

them for dinner 

and not even realize it.

so sometimes,

i make meals more 

substantial

by adding an egg,

poached or fried,

and other times,

i have to get creative.

larry loves italian --

i like it. 

but it wouldn't

be my first

choice

of cuisine

(or my second)

when deciding

where to dine

for the night.

so, years ago,

to bridge the italian, 

non-meat-eating

gap,

i started making this

tofu parm.

now, the thing about

tofu is that it has its devout

lovers, 

and just as determined,

haters.

i fall in the first group,

but let me tell you,

even i would want to 

spend too many meals 

eating plain pieces of

cold tofu.

they taste, mostly, like...

nothing.

so do yourself a favor 

and flavor it up. 

marinate it,

broil it,

pan-fry it.

look at it as a 

vehicle

for

sauces and seasonings.

here,

the slices are coated using

the standard breading

procedure:

flour,

egg,

then, breadcrumbs.

you really want to spice

both dry components

well, to ensure that they

do their part.

salt, pepper,

cayenne,

oregano and 

grated parm do wonders.

while, fresh toasted breadcrumbs,

are the tastiest,

i've used panko

(like in this case),

and in a pinch, italian dried breadcrumbs.

yes, i know it's a travesty. 

and, yes, i know that my

can and i could be shunned from

the culinary community just for

the admission, 

but the uncouth crumbs

do wonders for tofu.

(i'm sure the tofu would

be amazing pan-fried,

but i've always baked the

pieces. 

it's less messy 

and

feels like a less-guilty

alternative -

you'll be happy later

when it comes time 

to add the cheese.)

while the tofu

is working so hard 

to make itself

delicious, i try to give it

a hand by simmering together

a quick marinara and grating

mozzarella. 

the great thing though,

is that this recipe can be what you

make it. if you're short on time,

layer the mixture with a jar

of the best sauce you can

find and sprinkle with 

pre-shredded cheese.

and don't feel guilty.  

regardless,

the casserole makes your

house smell like

the best of italian restaurants. 

and when you pull the dish from

the oven,

hot, browned and bubbling,

it's only natural to feel

a growing impatience

that has built in anticipation - 

having to wait to take

your first bite

can be

exhausting.

i will not

go far as to

lie and say

that you will

think you're noshing

on chicken

or 

veal,

but i do think it's

fair to say

that after a couple bites, 

you won't care.

tofu parmigiana

the trick for making tofu taste good, is to drain and blot out as much of the water as possible, which in turn, helps the pieces absorb as much flavoring as possible. to do: drain tofu from container. blot with a couple paper towels. cut into desired pieces. place each piece on a paper towel; top with another paper towel and press. repeat several times and let sit while you prepare other things (get the sauce, started, set up the breading station, preheat the oven, etc.).

also, with the exception of the egg (because i finally learned my lesson - one just isn't enough), i never measure the ingredients for the breading. it dirties other dishes and is always a bit hard to predict, so i eyeball it. it's never steered me wrong.

one last thing, i usually make the parm in a 8x8 pan, but in this case i used gratin dishes. either way it makes enough for about three people, four if you're not very hungry or offer bread, pasta and salad as well. these little dishes (you would need three) are an easier, prettier way to serve, but if you're dining with family and are not concerned with appearences, save yourself the prep time - make it in one dish. and if you're feeding six, you can easily double the recipe.

1 pkg. (16 oz.) firm tofu, drained

flour

2 eggs, beaten with a few drops of water 

fresh bread crumbs or panko

salt, pepper, cayenne pepper,

oregano and grated parm

1 ball (8 oz.) part-skim mozzarella

2 oz. parm (give or take)

about 2 1/2 cups marinara sauce (recipe below)

using sharp knife, carefully cut tofu horizontaly into six slices; halve slices to get 12 rectangular pieces. drain as directed above. place flour in one bowl; add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper (just a dash). place eggs in a second bowl. place breadcrumbs in a third bowl; stir in salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (just a dash), oregano and a healthy handful of grated parm. 

heat oven to 350 F. coat foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray.

using left hand, place one piece tofu in flour; shake off excess. using right hand, dip in egg, making sure to cover and shake off excess. place in bowl of breadcrumbs; make sure the piece is coated and using left hand transfer to baking sheet. repeat with remaining pieces of tofu. spray with cooking spray. bake tofu 20 minutes; turn pieces and bake 20 minutes more until golden brown. 

meanwhile, grate both cheeses.

to assemble: spread about 3/4 cups sauce in bottom of an 8x8 dish (or 1/4 cup in bottom of each gratin dish). top with half the tofu pieces (or two in each gratin dish). top with 3/4 cup marinara sauce, half the grated mozzarrella, half the grated parm and sprinkle with oregano. place remaining tofu pieces on top, in the opposite direction of the first. top with remaining marinaria, remaining mozzarella, remaining parm and oregano. coat a piece (or pieces) of aluminum foil with cooking spray. firmly cover dish. place on baking sheet. bake 25 minutes (20 for smaller dishes); uncover. bake 5 minutes more. turn oven to broil and cook 2 minutes, or until cheese bubbles and begins to brown in spots.

quick marinara

this may seem like a lot of ingredients for something quick, but most of them are already in your cabinet and the amounts can be adjusted (or the ingredients omitted) depending upon what you have. you probably will not use all the sauce for the tofu parm. the rest can be frozen.

1 tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. red peper flakes

1 medium onion, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

1/4 cup white wine (optional)

1 can (28-32 oz.) cherry or plum tomatoes

1 can (6 oz.) tomato puree

2 Tbs. grated parm

in saucepot, over medium-high, warm oil with oregano and red pepper flakes. add onions and garlic and cook 6-8 minutes, or until softened and starting to turn golden. season with salt and pepper. add wine if using and cook 2 minutes. add tomatoes, breaking up as you put them in and puree. bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to low; let simmer 20 minutes, or until thickened. season with salt and pepper; stir in grated parm and cook 2 minute, more.