For the past few months, I have been working on different concepts and recipes for my second cookbook, a sequel to the first one. Another gold mine of family recipes have been tried, tested and tweaked. The kitchen has been the epicentre of the house for the last few months and the family wants to take a breather from being my guinea pigs. It was time now to satisfy my cravings. Having read up about corn meal and its usage in different cuisines around the world, I was craving polenta, my next best favourite to saag and maki ki roti. I was fortunate to find a packet of cornmeal in the pantry. Next I opened the fridge to see what I could top it with. So the cooking extravaganza began. A cupful of mushrooms, a couple of bunches of red and green leaf Swiss chard, vine tomatoes,fresh basil, a dash of balsamic vinegar and of course some garlic and onions. While the vegetables roasted slowly and gracefully in the oven, I was able to tend to other chores around the kitchen.What a satisfying meal!!
Creamy Polenta and Vegetables
Ingredients
1 cup cornmeal
2 1/4 cups water, cold
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chilli oil, to taste
1/4 cup parmesan, fresh,grated
1/4 cup water, boiled, if needed
For the vegetables
4 tbsps. olive oil
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1 onion, medium, finely chopped
1 cup mushrooms, button
1 red pepper, chopped into 2inch pieces
1 yellow pepper, chopped into 2inch pieces
1/2 tsp. oregano, dried, crumbled
3 tomatoes, fresh, sliced into thick rounds
3 tbsps. basil, fresh, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 bunches Swiss chard, red and green leaf, coarsely chopped
3/4 tsp. sea salt, to taste
1/2 tsp. black pepper, fresh ground
2 tbsps. Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup parmesan petals for garnish
2 tbsps. basil, finely chopped for garnish (optional)
Directions
• Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Prepare the veggies. In a bowl, mix together the oil, garlic, onions, mushrooms, peppers and oregano and spread onto a baking tray. In a separate bowl, toss the tomatoes, basil, and oil and place in a separate baking dish.
• Cook both trays in the oven for 15 minutes or until the garlic is a light brown and the onions are beginning to caramelize.The tomatoes will be soft. Remove them from the oven and set aside. Broil the remaining vegetables briefly until just slightly charred. About 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and mix well with the tomatoes.
• While the vegetables are cooking in the oven,prepare the polenta.
• In a heavy pot, mix together the cornmeal with the water and salt. Bring to a boil on high heat stirring constantly until it starts to thicken slightly. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook covered for another 15 minutes, stirring occassionally to prevent it from sticking to the pan. If the mixture thickens too much, add some boiling water a little at a time as necessary. The consistency of the polenta should be similar to that of mashed potatoes. Note that cooked polenta also tends to become a little firm as it cools down.
• Remove lid, stir in the oil and parmesan cheese. Mix well, remove from heat and pour contents into a covered serving dish and keep warm.
• While the polenta is cooking, cook the Swiss chard. In a sautè pan, over medium high heat mash the caramelized garlic. Add the swiss chard and cover slightly. Cook the chard until the leaves soften and are slightly wilted. About 3-4 minutes. Remove the leaves with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Boil down the remaining liquid in the pan. You will have about 3-4 tablespoons of liquid left.
• Remove from heat and add the liquid, salt, pepper and vinegar to the vegetables. Toss well and adjust seasonings.
• Serve in individual plates. Place some swiss chard on the plate, next, mound some polenta on top (a ring mould works well and is also esthetically pleasing). Top with the vegetables and garnish with some parmesan petals and some chopped fresh basil.
• This dish can be served as an accompanimet to grilled meats and fish.
Serves 6-8 people.
Comments