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 round dish that you can quickly prepare in your day to day.

The horrible cold that we are going through this month of February... And I am thinking only of spring!!! Now I just want to prepare little things that bring me the long-awaited most beautiful, bright and colorful season of the year!! That's why I thought of this recipe that is nothing complicated but tasty!

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

Polenta is a traditional Italian corn grits with which we can prepare a number of dishes, accompanied by seeds and aromatic herbs. In addition, its absence of gluten makes it a very interesting dish for celiacs and those who are gluten intolerant.

We find polenta on the market in the form of instant or pre-cooked flour, but also normal cooking. The latter needs 25 minutes to cook and is more difficult to find in our country. I have used the first one today because it is the one I had on hand and you also save time without losing properties…. Although I have to admit that regular cooking polenta is delicious!

As for this recipe we want a puree-type polenta, we will use three parts of liquid (water or broth) for one part of flour, above all I recommend following the manufacturer's instructions! But you can prepare this same recipe with only two parts of liquid and you will obtain a perfect polenta as a base, which, passed through the pan over and over again, would be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and you can present it as a pizza base and pour the vegetable on top! Imagination to the power!!

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

Ingredients

For the polenta:

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

For the vegetable ragout:

• EVOO
• ½ onion finely chopped
• A minced garlic clove
• 200gr of fresh peas (if you don't have frozen ones, but the mini ones)
• 200g of broad beans in season (if not frozen, but let them be the baby ones)
• A bunch of fine green asparagus
• 150ml broth (vegetable or poultry)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Elaboration

1. We start by preparing the vegetables. In a frying pan or low casserole add the olive oil , and over medium heat sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes until it becomes transparent.
2. Add the peas, broad beans and asparagus, cook for a couple of minutes and pour in the broth.
3. We will have it ready in about 10 minutes or when we see that the vegetables are tender and everything is juicy but not soup-like.
4. Add the salt and pepper and reserve.
5. Let's go now with the polenta. We want it to have a creamy texture because it immediately absorbs the liquid and becomes caked, so it must be served immediately to prepare it. In a cocotte pot we pour the water or the broth as we want to use and once it is about to boil, with bubbles in the bottom but not boiling, we add the appropriate amount of polenta. Stir well to avoid the formation of lumps and add the seeds, olive oil, salt, stir and add the grated or flake Parmesan. We want it to be creamy, so in 3-5 minutes (depending on the manufacturer) we will have it ready.
6. We serve immediately and immediately accompany on top with our vegetables (in my case I serve them in the Le Creuset mini-cocottes , but you can also use deep plates , tureens or bowls ).
7. We accompany it with a good splash of virgin olive oil, and at the table with a little more Parmesan on top!

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

*Recipe adapted from Valentina Hortus.