Creamy Stovetop Polenta

This is by far the best polenta dish I have made.  A great alternative to rice and mashed potato as a bed on which to place a hearty meal.  Great accompaniment to snaggers and onion gravy or stewed beans.

(Serves 4)
150ml milk
½ tsp salt
150g coarse cornmeal
50g butter
25g grated parmesan (optional)

Put the milk in a large, heavy-based pan along with 600ml water and the salt, and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, measure out the cornmeal and put it near the hob.
It is vital to add the polenta very slowly, stirring constantly, or it will end up lumpy.
When the pan comes to the boil, add the cornmeal, letting it run in thin streams through your fingers, whisking continuously. Stir for a minute or two until it thickens.   Allowing it to thicken before you turn the heat down is also important.
Turn the heat right down and stir well, roughly every 4-5 minutes to prevent it sticking, for about 35-45 minutes, until the polenta begins to come away from the sides of the pan. Stir in the butter and cheese, if using, then put on a serving dish.

Reconstitute leftovers as below.

Source:  How to Make the Perfect Polenta

Here is a more traditional approach.

Makes about 4 cups

What You Need

Ingredients
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup polenta or yellow cornmeal
1 cup cheese (optional)
1-3 tablespoons butter (optional)
Equipment
2- to 3-quart pot with lid
Whisk
Long handled spoon or sturdy spatula

Instructions

1. Bring the water to a boil. Bring the water to a brisk boil over medium-high heat. Add the salt.
2. Pour the polenta into the boiling water. While whisking gently, pour the polenta into the boiling water in a steady stream.
3. Continue whisking until polenta is thickened. Turn down the heat to low and continue whisking until the polenta has thickened enough that it doesn't settle back on the bottom of the pan when you stop stirring.
4. Cook the polenta 30-40 minutes. Cover the polenta and continue cooking. Stir vigorously every 10 minutes or so, making sure to scrape the sides, bottom, and corners of the pan. Cook 30 minutes for softer porridge-like polenta or 40 minutes for thicker polenta.
5. Stir in cheese and butter, if using. Stir the cheese and butter into the polenta, if using. Serve immediately, or cover the pan and let it sit at the back of the stove for up to 15 minutes before serving.

Additional Notes:

• Leftover Polenta: Polenta will solidify into the shape of the container in which you store it. Leftover polenta can be sliced or cubed before being roasted, grilled, or deep-fried. To make it creamy again, warm it with a little broth, milk, or water, and stir vigorously. It won't be quite as creamy as it was originally, but it should still be pourable.

Source:  Creamy Stovetop Polenta

Baked Creamy Pumpkin Risotto

Prep time:  15 mins.  Cook time:  35 mins.  Total time:  50 mins.  Serves:  4

There are several ways to cook this tasty dish.  The pumpkin can be cooked to an aldente, so it remains in tact within the risotto, or cooked to a mush so that when stirred it becomes a pumpkin sauce in the risotto.  I like to bake the pumpkin to soft (extra taste) and add it in the mix just 10 minutes before the risotto is done and then stir it in with the parmesan et al, so that it is saucy with a few very soft chunks.  I generally start baking the pumpkin while setting up the rest of the ingredients.  Cooking the pumpkin until soft and stirring it in as a sauce, makes the risotto quite creamy like stove top cooked risotto.

If hands on time time is not on your side and you are not overly fussy, just throw everything into a heavy oven proof pot and bake for 70 minutes and enjoy a wine..  It will still come out great!

This dish is easily turned into vegan by using a vegetable butter and nutritional yeast in lieu of butter and parmesan cheese.


Ingredients:

Ingredients - Garlic is behind the onion :-)

    2 tbsp olive oil

    1 large brown onion, finely diced or 1 large leak thinly sliced crossways

    2 garlic cloves, minced

    12 sage leaves

    2 cups arborio rice (risotto rice)

    1 cup dry white wine or use stock/water

    5 cups vegetable or chicken stock/broth

    700g/25oz pumpkin, diced into 1.5cm/0.5" cubes

    3 tbsp butter

    ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

    Salt

    Black pepper

Ready to go...

To Garnish:


    Grated parmesan
    Finely chopped parsley

Options:

You may add all of or just some of:- 5 diced bacon rashers, 200g mushrooms, 100g crumbled feta and a packet of baby spinach to this for variety.  Fry the bacon before the onion, the mushrooms with the onion, add the feta with the stock and stir the spinach in with the parmesan and butter and the latent heat will wilt it without affecting its nutrition.


Instructions:

•     Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
•     If baking the pumpkin, place on a baking tray. Drizzle with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake on top shelf of the preheated oven for 30 minutes.  This may be cooked in tandem with the Risotto or prior, depending on oven size.
•     Heat olive oil in ovenproof pot (preferably with a lid) over medium high heat.
•     Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is translucent.
•     Add sage leaves and cook for 1 minute or until it is crispy, but not burnt.
•     Add rice and stir so all the rice grains are coated with the olive oil.
•     Add white wine and cook until the the liquid evaporates - about 1 minute.
•     Add pumpkin (if cooking in the Risotto) and stock, and bring to boil.  I use Massel vegetarian chicken stock in water boiled in the kettle which also speeds up the process.
•     Put lid on (or cover tightly with foil) and place in oven for 25 to 35 minutes.  Give it a quick stir around the 15 - 20 minute mark.  When finished the rice should be moist like porridge, not dry like a pilaff. Excess liquid will be utilized by the pumpkin when you stir it or let it sit for a minute or so with the lid off.
•     Add the roast pumpkin if you have cooked it in tandem with the Risotto.
•     Add butter and parmesan cheese.
•     Gently stir the risotto so that the pumpkin turns into a puree and blends into the risotto. If it's too thick then add a splash of boiled water.
•     Add salt and pepper to taste.
•     Serve, garnished with parsley, extra chopped sage leaves and extra parmesan if desired.

Sources:  Recipe Tine Eats, Best Recipes, TasteDotCom

Broccilli Pesto**********

Serves: 4 (with Pasta)

See  my other Pesto recipes for variations.  This photo reflects opportunism in good buys.  Today, I got a great buy on broccoli and kale and a reasonable one on cashews, whilst basil and walnuts were quite expensive.  This turned out really, really good with a mash up with my Linguine recipe.  I just swapped the pesto and beans in it, with this!  Yum...

Ingredients

    Salt
    4 cups broccoli florets/spinach (packed)
    ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for grating
    ½ cup walnuts
    3 Garlic Cloves
    ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    ½ cup packed basil leaves
    Ground black pepper

Instructions

Bring 1 tablespoon of salt and 3 litres/quarts of water to boil in a large soup kettle. Add broccoli and cook until just tender and still bright green, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a food processor.

Add the Parmesan, nuts, oil, basil, and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper and process to pesto texture.

Add 227grams, ½ pound bite-size pasta, such as penne and  2 ears corn, kernels removed (about 1 cup) for a pasta meal.  Other pasta forms and veggies can be used for variety.

Source:  Top 10 ways to cook Broccilli

Basil Pesto

Preparation Time: 3 min,  Cooking Time: 3 min,  Yield:  1.5 cups.


This recipe can be quite versatile by swapping out seasonal greens for the basil and more economical nuts.  For example you could use kale or spinach and cashews, walnuts or almonds.

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh basil, packed
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 medium cloves of garlic, minced
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper


Method:

1.  As an option for enhanced flavor, toast your nuts and unpeeled whole garlic cloves until golden, tossing the pan occasionally.  Leave the garlic in a little longer. Peel the garlic when cooled.

2.  Rinse your basil leaves and pat dry.

3.  Add them to the food processor with the pine nuts and pulse several times.

4.  Next, add the olive oil and blend until smooth.

5.  Add the Parmesan cheese and pulse.  You may need to scrape any ingredients that have stuck to the side of your processor throughout the blending process.

6.  Mince garlic cloves before adding to the processor and pulse again.

7.  Once you’ve added your garlic, add the salt and pepper, blending one last time.

Transfer your pesto to a clean jar. A thin layer of olive oil should begin to accumulate on top of the pesto and refrigerate.  For the pesto to keep up to a year,  add a thin layer of olive oil to coat the top between uses or it will go moldy.  The pesto may also be refrigerated.