Polenta with Gorgonzola and Winter Vegetable Pan

Here at last is that long promised recipe for the dish that preceded the quince mousse.

Both dishes together make a perfectly good meal, but I also added a slice of zander or pike-perch (a fresh-water fish), seasoned with salt and Cajun Spice (see earlier entry), dusted with flour and fried à la minute in some hot butter or olive oil.  

 

 

What you need: Polenta with Gorgonzola

• 250 g Bramata Polenta
• 1 l vegetable broth possible with a bit extra (purists only use salted water…)
• 200 gr Gorgonzola, Blaues Wunder or Stilton in small cubes or slices (conversely for those who are not too keen on blue cheese a mixture of that and Mascarpone may be answer)
• grated parmesan
• Crema di Balsamico
• optionally: salt, pepper, Italian herbs and nutmeg

What you do:

There are two types of polenta, one that becomes quite solid once it is done and can then be fried up in butter and the other tends to be more liquid (apart from differences in the coarseness of the maize). For this recipe I prefer the liquid but relatively coarse-grained variety, which is the result of adding hot water or broth as the cooking and stirring goes on.

By the way, this does require a fair bit of cooking (and stirring time, the longer it cooks the easier it is to digest and the better it tastes, but unless you don’t mind chiselling out a black crust at the end, it pays to keep stirring…

The plus side is that it can be made in advance and that it freezes very well…

1. Bring the water with the vegetable stock to the boil.
2. Allow the maize to trickle into the boiling stock while you stir and keep stirring until the mixture thickens.
3. On a very small fire cook for at least 45 minutes, up to 2 hours if you have the time, stirring occasionally and adding water if the polenta gets too solid.
4. Season to taste towards the end.
5. In the meantime, butter a gratin dish and preheat the oven to 180°.
6. Pour in about two thirds of the polenta, then distribute the cheese over it. (Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg at this point if you use any.)
7. Pour in the rest, making sure the cheese is covered, then sprinkle a generous layer of parmesan on top for the crust. (alternatively, add the nutmeg at this stage.)
8. Bake in the oven until the top has developed a golden/light brown crust.
9. Serve with a pattern of Crema di Balsamice as decoration over the crust.

What you need: Winter Vegetable Pan

• olive oil (for sautéing, about 3 tblsp)
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 2 medium-sized leeks, finely sliced
• 1 medium parsley root cut into thin strips (about 3 mm thick and about 5 cm long; this is true for all root vegetables)
• 1 small parnsip
• 4 carrots (ideally of different types/colours)
• ½ celeriac
• ½ fennel, finely sliced
• 150 ml good white wine
• 300 ml passata or peeled tinned tomatoes
• 3 (+) cloves of garlic, pressed
• optionally: 5 pre-steamed black salsify (or scorzanera), cut in 5 cm pieces.
• to season:
• 1 vegetable stock cube(s)
• 1 tbls Cajun spice (see earlier blog entry)

What you do:

1. Heat the oil and sautée the onions and the leek until soft.
2. Add all the vegetables and stir fry briefly, then add the wine with the stock cube dissolved in it.
3. Pour in the passata, add the carlic and season with the Cajun spice.
4. Serve as soon as the liquid is reduced to a thickness of a mayonnaise and the vegetables are still quite crunchy. (If you prefer them soft, simply cook for longer.)
5. The dish can be done in advance, and warmed up before serving, in which case the “bite” of  the veggies needs to be monitored.  

Remarks

Black salsify is an underappreciated vegetable, only available in winter. It is said to be a pain to prepare. It looks like a grubby, black root and indeed it tends to leave black marks; it is best peeled under running water to prevent staining and to wash away the sticky milky liquid they exude when they are cut. Once peeled, the pieces or whole roots need to put into water with a bit of vinegar to prevent the snow white root from browning. If boiled in hot water or steamed, it remains white. It tastes slightly nutty and is sometimes referred to as winter asparagus. Served with a bit of cheese grated over the top and a bit of melted butter, it is a delicacy.