Broiled Polenta With Vegetables And Caramelized Shallots Recipes

CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Peel the papery skin off the shallots, being careful to leave them whole as whole as possible.
• Put the butter into a saute pan over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Add the shallots, shaking the pan to coat them with butter, and brown on all sides until nicely caramelized to a rich, golden brown color. This will take about 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with the sugar, add the salt, pepper, and stock, and bring to a boil. Pour the contents of the saute pan into a casserole or baking dish. Place into the oven for 20 minutes.
• Check after 10 minutes to stir the contents of the dish and to ensure that the liquid has not evaporated. If it has, add several tablespoons of water to keep the dish moist until the shallots have cooked completely.
• After the shallots have roasted for 20 minutes, the liquid will have evaporated and the shallots should be caramelized to a rich dark golden brown color and should be tender when pierced with a knife.

BROILED POLENTA STICKS

Steps:

• Brush a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with water.
• Combine 6 1/2 cups cold water with salt and cornmeal in a 5-quart heavy pot and bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking. Reduce heat to moderately low and cook, stirring constantly with a long-handled wooden spoon, until polenta begins to pull away from side of pot, 20 to 25 minutes. Pour polenta into baking pan, spreading evenly with a dampened heatproof rubber spatula. Cool in pan on a rack until polenta is lukewarm and set, about 20 minutes.
• Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and invert baking pan with polenta onto sheet to unmold.
• Preheat broiler.
• Brush polenta with 2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle with cheese. Broil about 4 inches from heat until pale golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, then cut into 3- by 1 1/2-inch sticks.

CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Peel shallots and cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices.
• Heat oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the butter and shallots. Sprinkle with sugar and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook shallots until they begin to brown evenly, then turn heat down to low and continue to cook until very soft, about 10 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

VEGGIE-TOPPED POLENTA SLICES

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet, cook polenta in 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat for 9-11 minutes on each side or until golden brown., Meanwhile, in another large skillet, saute zucchini in remaining oil until tender. Add shallots and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the broth, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is almost evaporated., Stir in the tomatoes, basil and parsley; heat through. Serve with polenta; sprinkle with cheese.

ROASTED POLENTA WITH GARDEN VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Make the Polenta: Bring the chicken stock, butter, pepper, and salt to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pot. While whisking the hot stock in a quick circular motion, "rain" in the polenta by letting it stream through your fingers. (This will prevent lumping.)
• Reduce the polenta to a gentle simmer; it must be stirred constantly for 25 to 35 minutes to prevent lumps or scorching. Be very careful when stirring, the mixture is very hot (think lava) and can burn you if it boils and sputters. If it begins to boil cover the pot and reduce the heat until boiling stops!
• The polenta is cooked when it is no longer grainy and has become creamy. (My grandmother says good polenta takes 30 minutes, great polenta takes 1 hour).
• Stir in the Parmesan and basil and pour onto a buttered sheet pan to cool. When cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cut the polenta into any shape you desire that's structurally sound. In other words, a shape that won't fall apart on the grill easily, or be difficult to remove from the sheet pan after roasting. Squares, triangles, stars etc.
• Make the Marinade and Vegetables: Whisk together the vinegar and garlic. While whisking, drizzle in the oil to make a smooth dressing. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss the vegetables with the marinade.
• When ready to serve, preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan.
• Brush the polenta lightly on both sides with olive oil and grill, turning once, until the edges are brown and crispy.
• At the same time grill the vegetables until they are tender but still firm.
• Pile the vegetables on top of the polenta, then stand back and wait for the applause!