Polenta Gratin With Savory Vegetables Recipes

Steps:

• For the polenta: Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with olive oil or butter. In a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot bring 1 cup milk and 2 cups water to a boil, then sprinkle in the cornmeal whisking constantly. Keep whisking or stirring until mixture boils and thickens, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of water if polenta gets too thick. Stir in the salt, softened butter, and herbs, then pour into baking pan and try to smooth into an even layer about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Let cool. For the vegetables: Alternate layers of vegetables on top of polenta, pressing down firmly on each layer, and ending with red peppers and cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve with smoked tomato vinaigrette.
• For the Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette: Place wine, shallots, and vinegar in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Core and quarter the tomatoes. Puree in blender, then strain puree into the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until about 1/2 cup of liquid remains. Whisk in olive oils and season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large, oven-safe saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the red onion and salt and sweat until the onions begin to turn translucent, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, making sure the garlic does not burn.
• Turn the heat up to high, add the chicken stock, bring to a boil. Gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking. Once you have added all of the cornmeal, cover the pot and place it in the oven. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every
• 10 minutes to prevent lumps. Once the mixture is creamy, remove from the oven and add the butter, salt, and pepper. Once they are incorporated, gradually add the Parmesan.
• Serve as is, or pour the polenta into 9 by 13-inch cake pan lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
• Once set, turn the polenta out onto a cutting board and cut into squares, rounds, or triangles. Brush each side with olive oil and saute in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, or grill.

Steps:

• Polenta
• Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with a thin coating of olive oil or butter.
• Bring the milk and 3 cups of water to a boil in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Slowly pour in the polenta, whisking constantly. Continue whisking or stirring until the mixture boils. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Add a little more water if the polenta gets too thick (it should be loose enough to pour, but not runny). Stir in the salt, butter, and the Grana Padano cheese, and pour the mixture into the baking dish. Using a spatula, smooth the polenta into an even layer, 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick. Gently press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the polenta and let it cool for 10 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate it until needed. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.
• When all the vegetables are ready, top the polenta with the eggplant, then sprinkle with a little fontina cheese and spread the spinach on top. Arrange the mushrooms and garlic confit over the spinach, then a little more cheese. Finish with the red peppers and the remaining cheese.
• Bake for about 15 minutes, until the polenta is heated through. Serve with a tomato basil sauce if desired.
• If you are not serving the polenta immediately, let it cool for 15 minutes, then cover it with plastic wrap, place another pan of the same size on top, and weight it down, using 3 or 4 pounds. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. Pressing the vegetables in this manner helps them meld with the polenta; however, you shouldn't use so much weight that you make a flat "pizza." This also makes the gratin easier to cut into neat squares. Then you can serve this dish as I do at the restaurant-simply reheat individual squares in the oven. Portions can also be tightly wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 2 months.
• Savory Vegetables Topping
• Prepare 2 recipes of Garlic Confit. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Remove the seeds from the peppers and cut them into strips or dice. Set aside. Place the eggplant in a large bowl with 1 cup of water, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt. Toss the eggplant well to coat, then transfer it to a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes (flipping once), or until golden brown and soft. Use a metal spatula to flip the eggplant once during cooking.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté them (in batches, if necessary, to avoid overcrowding the pan) until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Season them with salt and pepper, then transfer to a plate and cool. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel, if necessary, and heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt and cook, turning frequently with tongs, for 2-3 minutes, until just wilted. Use a strainer to drain it.

Steps:

• Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it moves easily across the pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, then add the mushrooms and thyme leaves. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato, cook for about 2 minutes more, then add the stock 2 tablespoons at a time, bringing to a simmer before each addition. Simmer the bolognese until it is concentrated but not yet dry, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Moisten the polenta with 2 tablespoons of water, mixing well with your hands. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add a pinch of salt and gradually stir in the polenta. Stirring constantly, bring the polenta to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cook the polenta, stirring occasionally, until it is no longer grainy, about 30 minutes. Stir the olive oil into the polenta, season with salt, and remove it from the heat.
• TO ASSEMBLE: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spoon 1/2 the polenta into a medium baking dish and cover with 1/2 of the sauce. Spoon in the remaining polenta, spread it evenly, then sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Transfer the remaining sauce to a small saucepan and reserve.
• Bake the gratin until the top is golden, about 40 minutes. Just before serving, warm the reserved sauce over low heat. Divide the gratin and sauce among 4 plates and serve.

Steps:

• Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan; pour polenta slowly into boiling water, whisking constantly until all polenta is stirred in and there are no lumps.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until polenta starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Polenta mixture should still be slightly loose. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, whisking every 5 to 6 minutes. When polenta is too thick to whisk, stir with a wooden spoon. Polenta is done when texture is creamy and the individual grains are tender.
• Turn off heat and gently stir 2 tablespoons butter into polenta until butter partially melts; mix 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into polenta until cheese has melted. Cover and let stand 5 minutes to thicken; stir and taste for salt before transferring to a serving bowl. Top polenta with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and about 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan or a baking dish with parchment or foil. Toss vegetables with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh herbs if using. Spread vegetables in an even layer.
• Combine polenta, water, and salt in a 2-quart baking dish and stir together. Place polenta and vegetables in the oven. If you can't fit both pans on the same (middle) rack, place vegetables on a lower rack. Roast vegetables for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or until soft and beginning to caramelize. Remove from the oven.
• If serving this with marinara sauce, make the sauce while the vegetables and polenta are in the oven.
• Continue to bake the polenta until it has been in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes and has absorbed the water. Remove from oven and stir in butter. Use a fork or a spatula to stir the polenta well, and return to oven for 5 to 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and stir again. Carefully taste a little bit of the polenta; if it is not completely soft, return to the oven for 5 to 10 more minutes.
• Remove polenta from oven and stir in 1/3 cup grated Parmesan, if using. Immediately spoon polenta onto plates and make a depression in the middle. Ladle on some marinara sauce and top with a generous spoonful of roasted vegetables. Sprinkle on remaining Parmesan and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter an 8x12-inch baking dish.
• Bring water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add cornmeal in a slow stream, whisking. Whisk in 1 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon sage. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until very thick, about 20 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.
• Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 of the mushrooms, ¼ teaspoon of each of the salt and sage, and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden, about 5 minutes. Remove. Repeat with remaining mushrooms, 1 tablespoon each butter and oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and sage and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
• Pour 1/2 of the polenta into the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer. Top with 1/2 of the mushrooms, followed by 1/2 of the Fontina cheese and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Repeat with remaining polenta, mushrooms, Fontina and Parmesan cheeses.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is bubbling, about 15 minutes.