Make Ahead Polenta With Green Onions And Ricotta Recipes

MAKE-AHEAD POLENTA WITH GREEN ONIONS AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) broiler-proof baking dish with cooking spray. (Do not use a glass baking dish if you want to broil the ricotta topping; glass baking dishes can break under the broiler.)
• In 4-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add green onions; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add milk, water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt; heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
• Still over medium heat, slowly add cornmeal, stirring constantly with whisk until mixture thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. (If mixture starts to bubble and spatter, reduce heat to medium-low.) Remove from heat. Stir in pepper, Parmesan cheese and half of the chives. If desired, taste and adjust seasonings.
• Pour into baking dish; spread evenly. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Cover loosely with foil; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
• For ricotta topping, in medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining half of the chives and the eggs. Cover; refrigerate until ready to use. (This can also be made a day ahead or the day of.)
• Heat oven to 400°F. Spread ricotta topping evenly over top of polenta.
• Bake about 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated. (If using a broiler-proof dish and you'd like to brown the top, you can set it under the broiler for a few minutes.) Cool slightly before serving.

CHEESY POLENTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 8x8-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in green pepper, garlic, and green onions; cook until the pepper softens, about 3 minutes. Pour in marinara sauce and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Mix together fontina and provolone in a bowl. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange 1/3 of the polenta slices in the dish, top with 1/3 the fontina and provolone mixture. Spread a thin layer of sauce over cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top casserole with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 25 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan; pour polenta slowly into boiling water, whisking constantly until all polenta is stirred in and there are no lumps.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until polenta starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Polenta mixture should still be slightly loose. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, whisking every 5 to 6 minutes. When polenta is too thick to whisk, stir with a wooden spoon. Polenta is done when texture is creamy and the individual grains are tender.
• Turn off heat and gently stir 2 tablespoons butter into polenta until butter partially melts; mix 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into polenta until cheese has melted. Cover and let stand 5 minutes to thicken; stir and taste for salt before transferring to a serving bowl. Top polenta with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and about 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish.

BAKED POLENTA WITH RICOTTA AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Soak polenta in cold water for 1 hour. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Drain polenta, then place in a heavy-bottomed pot or ovenproof baking dish. Add salt and 4 cups water.
• Place pot in oven, cover, and bake for 45 minutes. (The polenta will begin to simmer and absorb water after a few minutes. No need to stir.)
• After 45 minutes, uncover and stir in the olive oil, ricotta and Parmesan, but don't overmix. Some of the ricotta should remain in big blobs. The mixture may be a bit soupy at this point, but will thicken as it continues to cook. Bake, uncovered, for another 15 minutes, until top has browned. Finish with a generous amount of pepper.

SOFT POLENTA WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more, until its aroma is released.
• Add the chicken stock, water, and salt to the pan and increase the heat to medium high. When the liquid is simmering, gradually sprinkle the polenta over in a very slow, thin stream, whisking constantly in the same direction until all the grains are incorporated and no lumps remain. Reduce the heat to very low. Switch to a wooden paddle and stir thoroughly every few minutes for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and the grains of polenta have softened. Stir in the butter, thyme, pepper, and grated Manchego and remove from the heat. Spoon some polenta into each of 6 warmed shallow soup bowls and top with some of the roasted peppers and chopped cilantro.

GREEN POLENTA

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and kale, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until wilted. Set aside to cool.
• Once the mixture has cooled, add to a food processor and process until very smooth. Add a little water, if necessary, to help make a smooth mixture.
• In another large pot, bring 5 cups of water and 2 cups heavy cream to a boil over medium heat. Whisk in the polenta and stir constantly until the polenta is creamy, about 20 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a little more water or cream.
• Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Fold in the kale and the Parmesan and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Turn out into a serving bowl and serve.

CREAMY BAKED POLENTA WITH HERBS AND GREEN ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour 6 cups water into 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk polenta, salt, and pepper into water. Bake uncovered 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add green onions and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and thyme, then cream. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• Stir polenta to blend. Stir green onion mixture, cheese, and lemon peel into polenta. Continue to bake uncovered until polenta is creamy and liquid is completely absorbed, about 10 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes; serve.

CREAMY POLENTA WITH GREEN ONIONS AND PARSLEY

Steps:

• Bring 1 quart stock, 5 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt to boil in heavy 8-quart saucepan.
• Whisk in cornmeal in thin stream,adjusting heat to maintain slow bubbles.
• Stir polenta constantly with wooden spoon until sheets fall from lifted spoon, adding more stock if necessary to maintain creamy consistancy, about 30 minutes.
• (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover surface with plastic and let stand at room temperature. Rewarm over low heat, stirring constantly. Thin with stock if necessary.).
• Stir in green onion, butter,parsley, and pepper.
• Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Serve immediately.

CREAMY BAKED POLENTA WITH HERBS AND GREEN ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Pour 6 cups water into sprayed 13x9 glass baking dish. Whisk polenta, salt and pepper into water. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes. Could be a little more or less. Make sure it doesn't get hard.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add green onions and garlic, saute 2 minutes. Stir in parsley, thyme and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• Stir polenta to blend. Stir green onion mixture, cheese and lemon peel into polenta. If liquid isn't completely absorbed, bake a little longer.

POLENTA WITH PEPPER-ONION SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil in skillet large enough to hold all the vegetables and saute onions over medium heat until soft and brown.
• Add peppers and cook until they begin to soften. Stir in tomatoes, wine and pepper. (Break up canned tomatoes with fingers as they are added). Cover and cook over medium-low heat until peppers are soft and mixture is medium thick.
• Meanwhile, cook the polenta according to package directions and season with salt, if desired. To serve, spoon polenta onto dinner plates and top with sauce.