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View Full Version : Broiled Polenta with Winter Tomato Sauce


Kathyblue
07-28-2003, 10:28 PM
This is a great and easy meal... one of my only real "vegetarian" recipes. I hope you all enjoy it!!

Ingredients:
--------------------- for the polenta base...
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal
---------------------
1/4 pound grated Fontina cheese (Italian) (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons olive oil (+ more for brushing on)
1 large onion
1 chopped garlic clove
28 or 32 oz. can of whole tomatoes (with juice)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (i like it fresh! :))

Preparation:
To make the polenta...
Bring water and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in cornmeal (thin stream). Cook over low heat (barely boiling) while stirring constantly until it gets very thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan (this should be about 40 minutes for cornmeal or only 15 minutes if you use 1 cup of instant polenta instead). Remove the pan from the heat.
In a bowl, stir the polenta in with the Fontina until is is smooth. Pour the mix into a lightl oiled shallow 1 1/2-quart bowl and cool.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over moderatly high heat until hot (but not smoking!) and saute the onion with salt to taste, stirring, until golden and tender. This should take about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute, stiring for 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice, stirring again, to break up the tomatoes. Simmer (covered) for 30 min. Stir in parsley. Keep the sauce warm, and preheat the broiler.

Unmold the polenta onto a cutting board and cut into 3/4 inch thick slices. Arrange them in one layer in a lightly oiled baking pan and bruch with additional oil. Broil the polenta about 3 inhes from the heat until the edges are golden (this should take about 5 min). Turn it over, and broil about 3 more minutes (again, until edges are golden brown). Arrange the polenta on a platter and spoon the sauce over it. I like to top it with grated or thinly sliced pasmesan.


I hope everyone enjoys this simple (although time consuming!) vegetarian recipe!! Let me know what you think!
Looking forward to hearing some of your recipes!!
~kathy

Sara J.
12-10-2003, 08:31 PM
Hi all!

Haven't had a chance to try Kathy's recipe yet, but am a long-time fan of polenta! You can use the basic polenta recipe from above for a bunch of great meals! Here's a favorite breakfast idea....

Fried Polenta with Raisins
Follow Kathy's polenta recipe, but add approx. 1/4 cup sugar (brown, white, whatever kind you like) and, after pan removed from heat, mix in approx. 1 cup raisins until uniform

Pour polenta/raisin mixture into a good sized loaf pan and refrigerate overnight.*

Remove chilled polenta loaf from pan and cut it into slices

Fry in butter/margarine on both sides until browned and edges are slightly crisp; serve with warm maple syrup. Yumm!

*loaf can be stored for up to a week in the fridge; you can make it and just cut off the slices you need one meal at a time.
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Hope everyone enjoys this non-bacon&eggs breakfast treat! Happy culinary adventures! --Sara j