I love polenta , my wife and daughter too . My son hates it, fortunately for him he was away at summer camp ,so I made the 2 dishes he doesn't like :polenta and eggplant !
When its it BBQ season I use it a lot , like everyday and I used it to grill my polenta cakes.
What is your best way to prepare polenta ?
Here's my recipe:
Creamy Polenta Recipe
Polenta is a traditional side dish in northern Italy. It's made by simmering coarsely ground corn meal until the natural starches are released, making it creamy ,tasty and satisfying.
You could make polenta using plain water, but water doesn't have any flavor, so stock is a much better choice. Chicken stock is great for making polenta, and so is veal stock. But for the best polenta you ever tasted, simmer a ham hock for a couple of hours and use the resulting liquid to make your polenta.
You'll Need
- 1 cup polenta(corn meal)
- 3 cups veggie stock
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter or oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
Let's make it
In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, bring the cooking liquid to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta and lower heat to a very low simmer.
Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently with a long spoon. The polenta should bubble thickly like molten lava during this time. If the polenta starts to clump up, add water (about ½ cup at a time) to thin it out.
Stir in veg-butter.
The final consistency should be thick and creamy but not clumpy.
Adjust consistency with additional water if necessary.
Let's grill it !
Pour warm polenta into a glass loaf pan.
Smooth the top, cover and refrigerate until set, a few hours or up to overnight. Or spread it onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
About half an inch in thickness should do the job
Turn the polenta onto a cutting board. It should be completely molded into the shape of your loaf pan.
Cut into ½-inch slices and brush each one with olive oil on both sides.
Heat a grill pan until it is quite hot. If using a gas grill, which is likely to get much hotter than a grill pan, a medium-high setting should be enough.
Place each slice diagonally across the grill and let it cook for about 10 minutes or until dark-brown grill marks appear. Don't move the polenta around, though, or you'll disturb the browning process. Also, don't overcrowd the pan. Work in batches if necessary.
Flip and grill the other side until grill marks appear, about another 10 minutes.
Now let's cook the eggplant !!
Ingredients :
2 large eggplants
Olive oil (for brushing eggplant)
Salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste
For the sauce
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1⁄4 cup olive oil
2 bay leaves
1⁄2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon fresh basil
15 ounce canned tomatoes
8-ounce can tomato sauce
Wash eggplant and cut into 1⁄2-inch-thick dice . Place cut eggplant on a large tray, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Turn over and repeat on other side. Put under a broiler preheated to between 350 and 400 degrees, and broil both sides until a light golden brown. When done, remove from oven and set aside.
Prepare the sauce while eggplant is cooking: Chop onions and garlic and sauté for several minutes in small amount of olive oil; then add the rest of the olive oil, and all other spices.
Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, and stir frequently. Cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, then turn off heat.
Prepare for baking: Pour several spoons of sauce on the bottom of an 11-by-7-inch or 9-by-9-inch casserole dish. Layer the bottom of casserole dish with eggplant slices. Spoon some of the sauce on this layer; then add new layers, spooning sauce over each. Be sure to keep some sauce to pour over top layer.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and bake casserole dish for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve hot, over the grilled polenta .
My kid is missing a serious meal !
