Friendsgiving is on the horizon and — uh oh — half your friends are vegetarian. No fear! The Italians are here to help ...
Just take that packet of dried cornmeal in your cabinet and make a big ol' pot of polenta. But instead of eating it while it's soft and mushy, put it in a baking dish and let it sit for awhile. The result will be a flashy fun polenta mold, which you can then cut up and fry or bake in the oven.
Chef Dustin Wheeler at Tucson's Café à'la C'Art calls the creation a polenta torta, and it's really an age-old recipe. He likes to stuff his with spinach and roasted red pepper and then smooth the polenta into a bread loaf pan. But a quick Internet search yields dozens of shapes and sizes, from elegant layered cheesecakes to bulbous yellow domes.
The polenta torta is great for fall dinner parties, because it's showy enough to be the main deal but just as comfortable playing a supporting role as a side dish. Dustin's secret? If you're frying it up, make sure you've got a long thin spatula to turn it over in the pan. Otherwise the polenta will break apart, which might not look as pretty, but will still be delizioso!
Café à'la C'Art's Polenta Torta
For the torta
- canola oil
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup dry polenta
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 roasted red pepper, cut into strips
- 1 and a half cups spinach
- salt to taste
For the goat cheese sauce
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon goat cheese
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- salt to taste
- Optional toppings: parmesan shavings, micro cilantro, basil oil, olive tapenade
Sautee onions with canola oil in a pot for several minutes until they become translucent. Add whole milk and bring to a simmer. Add dry polenta and whisk until well combined. Add chicken broth and keep on a simmer, whisking occasionally for 12 minutes. Add a pinch of salt.
In a pan, sautee roasted red pepper in canola oil for a couple minutes. Add spinach and salt and cook until spinach wilts. Remove from pan and pat mixture down in a dishtowel to remove moisture.
In a greased bread loaf pan, layer half of the polenta, then vegetable mixture, then the rest of the polenta and pat down and smooth over the top. Rest for 2 hours in the fridge.
Take polenta out, cut into slices an inch thick and fry in pan with canola oil. To prepare the sauce, simmer heavy cream with goat cheese, lemon juice and salt and mix until emulsified. Dot sauce on the plate and place polenta cake over it. Optional: Top with parmesan shavings, micro cilantro, basil oil or olive tapenade.
