Polenta with sauteed vegetables

Today Patri, author of Sabores y Momentos , brings us the recipe to make polenta at home with a side dish that is divine and most appetizing: vegetables and parmesan. A well-rounded dish that you can prepare quickly in your daily life.

The horrible cold we are experiencing this February... And I am only thinking about spring!!! I just want to prepare things that will bring me the most beautiful, bright and colorful season of the year!! That is why I thought of this recipe that is not complicated at all but is delicious!

A delicious polenta accompanied by a ragout of the most spring-like vegetables that we can find in our markets… Some peas, some fresh broad beans and some sautéed green asparagus. Mmmm, irresistible!

Polenta is a traditional Italian cornmeal that can be used to prepare many dishes, accompanied by seeds and aromatic herbs. In addition, its absence of gluten makes it a very interesting dish for celiacs and gluten intolerants.

Polenta is available on the market in the form of instant or pre-cooked flour, but also in normal cooking. The latter requires 25 minutes of cooking and is more difficult to find in our country. Today I used the former because it is what I had on hand and it also saves time without losing properties… Although I must admit that normal cooking polenta is delicious!

As we want a puree-like polenta for this recipe, we will use three parts liquid (water or broth) to one part flour, above all I recommend following the manufacturer's instructions! But you can prepare this same recipe with only two parts liquid and you will get a perfect polenta base, which, when fried on both sides, will be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and you can serve it as a pizza base and pour the vegetables on top! Let your imagination run wild!!

Fleur porcelain bowl from Ligne Tokyo Design Studio and Le Creuset mini ceramic cocottes .

Ingredients

For the polenta:

• A small glass of instant polenta
• Three small glasses of water or broth
• Seed mix (chia, sesame, sunflower seeds...)
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon of EVOO
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan (good quality)

For the vegetable ragout:

• EVOO
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• A clove of minced garlic
• 200gr of fresh peas (if you don't have any, use frozen ones, but use mini ones)
• 200gr of seasonal broad beans (if not, frozen but baby)
• A bunch of thin green asparagus
• 150ml broth (vegetable or poultry)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Elaboration

1. We begin by preparing the vegetables. In a frying pan or low saucepan , add the olive oil and, over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes until they become transparent.
2. Add the peas, beans and asparagus, cook for a couple of minutes and pour in the broth.
3. It will be ready in about 10 minutes or when we see that the vegetables are tender and everything is juicy but not soup-like.
4. Add salt and pepper and set aside.
5. Now we move on to the polenta. We want it to have a creamy texture because it absorbs the liquid quickly and becomes lumpy, so we have to serve it immediately after preparing it. Pour the water or broth into a cocotte pot, depending on what you want to use, and once it is about to boil, with bubbles at the bottom but not boiling, add the appropriate amount of polenta. Stir well to avoid lumps forming and add the seeds, olive oil, salt, stir and add the grated or flaked parmesan. We want it to be creamy, so in 3-5 minutes (depending on the manufacturer) it will be ready.
6. We serve immediately and then top with our vegetables (in my case I serve them in Le Creuset mini-cocottes , but you can also use deep plates , soup tureens or bowls ).
7. We accompany it with a good splash of virgin olive oil, and serve it with a little more parmesan on top!

Fleur de Ligne Tokyo Design Studio porcelain bowl , Le Creuset mini ceramic cocottes and Le Creuset skillet .

*Recipe adapted from Valentina Hortus.