How to make your fajitas sizzle like a restaurant’s

Good morning, newspaper friends. Today we have an impassioned plea at an anonymous dinner table, where the cook simply cannot make tender chicken on the stovetop. Could you please tell her your secret and a recipe or two as well? In our conversation over said dinner table, she also asked for a recipe for white lasagna, “hoping it is easier to make than the traditional version.”

Today we are opening a new chapter of Best of the Best: What is the best thing you have prepared in your kitchen, or sampled in another dining room? As winter is fast approaching and we will need the comfort of food, we would welcome your submissions for appetizer, drink, entrée, side and dessert. Oh yes.

POLENTA CASSEROLE

This autumnal treasure came from a cookbook, “Mary James Dishes It Out,” shared with this column by T.R.B. If you are accustomed to seeing polenta in refrigerated logs, here is some guidance from Real Simple magazine that separates the grits from the polenta. “Polenta is made of stoneground dried yellow corn kernels that have a flaky texture. Polenta is similar to Southern grits in both taste and preparation, but there is one key difference. The kernels used for polenta come from flint corn, which is a hearty variety of corn originally found in Italy. Compared to dent corn, which is used to make grits, flint corn has less starch, meaning that polenta is not as creamy and velvety as grits (but decadent nonetheless).”

Polenta, Sausage and Portobello Casserole

Polenta base:

3 1/2 to 4 cups milk

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup polenta

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 1/2 cup Comté or Gruyere cheese, grated

Combine milk, butter and salt in a heavy saucepan, and heat to a simmer. Slowly add the polenta in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Lower heat, and continue stirring until mixture has thickened and leaves the sides of the pan, about 20 minutes. Stir in cheeses. Pour into a greased 3-quart casserole. Set aside.

Assembling the casserole:

12 ounces chicken and pesto sausage

8 ounces Portobello mushrooms

1 1/2 cups chunky red sauce or your favorite jarred pasta sauce

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated

Cut sausage into 3/4-inch pieces. In a medium fry pan, sauté until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove. Cut mushrooms into 1-inch pieces, and sauté until tender and juices have evaporated.

Top polenta with cooked sausage and then mushrooms. Spread evenly with red sauce followed by Parmesan cheese. Finish with mozzarella cheese.

Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Freezes well. Makes 6 to 8 servings

Notes: Polenta can be cooked in a double boiler and only has to be stirred a couple of times. It takes at least an hour. Grits and oatmeal also work in a double boiler.

Using milk or half-and-half to cook polenta and grits yields a much richer product. Even skim milk is better than water.

FAJITAS

This one came recommended by Rosemary Palmer from her blog, myhomeandtravels.com.

Sizzling Chicken Fajitas Fajita marinade:

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.

Assembling the fajitas:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 medium green bell pepper, sliced

1 medium red bell pepper, sliced

1 medium yellow bell pepper, sliced

1 medium white onion, sliced

2 large avocados, sliced

2 large limes, cut into wedges

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Add the chicken breasts to a large, nonreactive bowl, and pour the marinade on top. Turn the breasts to ensure all pieces are equally coated. Marinate at room temperature up to one hour, or cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.

To prepare the fajitas, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

Remove chicken breasts from marinade, and discard the remaining liquid. Place chicken breasts in skillet, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes before turning. Continue cooking another 6 to 8 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Tip: An instant-read thermometer should read 160 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken for you to know that it’s done cooking. The heat will continue to rise another 5 degrees while the meat rests.

Increase heat to medium-high, and add remaining olive oil to skillet. Add the sliced peppers and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender and nicely browned, 6 to 7 minutes.

To serve, cut the chicken breasts into thin slices, and divide among cast iron fajita platters if using (see tip below) or individual serving plates.

Serve immediately with your choice of the following on the side: peppers, onion, sliced avocado, lime wedges and fresh cilantro.

Tip: For an authentic restaurant-style sizzling fajita presentation, heat the cast-iron fajita skillets

in a hot oven while preparing the chicken and vegetables. Transfer the cooked ingredients to the hot fajita skillets, and serve immediately.

Tip: The chicken can be sliced before cooking, but it has a tendency to dry out when prepared this way. Cooking the whole breasts takes a bit longer, but the chicken will be juicier.

AVOCADO DRESSING

Euela Laubenheim looked for a recipe for an avocado dressing that does not turn brown, “and this one looked to be the brightest green in the photos. The recipe was credited to Layla from the Gimmedelicious website.”

Healthy Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing

1 avocado

1 clove garlic peeled

1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

1/4 cup low-fat sour-cream or plain

Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice or white vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Water

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender.

Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides a few times. Thin the salad dressing out with about 1/3 cup water (give or take) until it reaches a desired consistency.

Keep in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.

JUST A DASH

RoeRoe, an area grandmother with a reputation as a great cook, doesn’t experiment when her adored grandchildren have birthdays. “I just make the same one every time, and that is all they want. I start with a white cake mix but add a little vanilla extract and lemon juice. I bake it in a 9- by 13-inch pan, and while it is still hot, I poke holes in the cake and pour a can of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk over the cake, filling those holes. Then I frost with lightly sweetened whipped cream.”

EPILOGUE

With the colder months ahead, I am remembering some impromptu — and promptu — gatherings during the pandemic — either on the shivery lawn with a warming fire or on the chilly porch. In hindsight, it was a fine adaptation. In the same spirit, last night a friend invited a small group of companions to her front yard. Turns out her family had strung lights in the overarching tree, and she had arranged comfortable chairs and small tables in an artful oval beside it. She purchased cheese and crackers and cookies and consulted her friends at Imbibe about proper drinks. She had set a small side table of food and well-chosen drinks, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic. There was a huge basket filled with blankets and throws. But we needed none of them, because we were warmed by her artful hospitality.

As a bonus, and a familial example, she disappeared into her house as we departed and out came her children to pack everything up and return it to the house.

Shall we go and do likewise, in our own unique ways?

Thanks to you all for what you shared, and keep it up, please.