Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

8 oz Polenta
3 oz Stoned olives (optional)

--------------------FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE-------------------------
1 1/4 lb (generous) canned tomatoes
1 lg Onion
1 tb Olive oil
Garlic, bay, rosemary, thyme
-- (or herbs of your choice)

Bring 1-3/4 pints salted water to the boil. Reduce the heat to low
and add the grain as though you were making porridge: let the polenta
trickle slowly through your fingers and stir the contents of the pan
very vigorously all the time to prevent lumps forming. Cook over the
gentlest possible heat for about 20 minutes, stirring more or less
continuously - like porridge and semolina, polenta is a great sticker.
The mixture is ready when it begins to come away from the sides of
the pan, is perfectly smooth and so thick that your wrist aches from
stirring. Away from the heat beat in 1 tablespoon oil, the stoned
olives if using them, and some salt and pepper. Use the remaining 1
tablespoon oil to grease the interior of an 11-12 inch frying pan.
Turn the polenta into the frying pan, pack it down smoothly and level
the top with an oiled spoon. Set aside for a couple of hours until
the polenta is cold and solid. Loosen it with a palette knife, turn
it out of the pan and cut into 6-8 wedges.

To make the sauce, chop the onion finely and sweat it in the oil for
10-12 minutes. Add the roughly chopped tomatoes and their juices,
several cloves of finely chopped garlic and a little bouquet of
rosemary, bay and thyme, or plenty of well-flavoured herbs of your
choice. Let the mixture bubble away gently for 40 minutes or so, just
stirring occasionally, until reduced to a rich and fragrant sauce.
Remove the bouquet of herbs, season with salt and pepper and add
extra fresh chopped herbs to taste.

Fry the wedges of polenta in very hot olive oil or unsalted butter,
or a mixture of the two, for 4-5 minutes on each side until lightly
crusted and heated right through. Serve piping hot with the garlicky
tomato sauce, and with a bowl of olives or grated Parmesan if you
wish. In the Veneto polenta sometimes accompanies small silvery fried
fish, or a dish of Fergato alla Veneziana. Quail or other tiny game
birds threaded on to skewers and cooked on a spit, or a saute of
chicken livers, and grilled sausages, are other good choices but
polenta can be served on its own just as well.

Source: Philippa Davenport in "Country Living" (British), February
1988. Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

Browse by categories