Polenta And Vegetables With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Recipes

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan or a baking dish with parchment or foil. Toss vegetables with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh herbs if using. Spread vegetables in an even layer.
• Combine polenta, water, and salt in a 2-quart baking dish and stir together. Place polenta and vegetables in the oven. If you can't fit both pans on the same (middle) rack, place vegetables on a lower rack. Roast vegetables for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or until soft and beginning to caramelize. Remove from the oven.
• If serving this with marinara sauce, make the sauce while the vegetables and polenta are in the oven.
• Continue to bake the polenta until it has been in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes and has absorbed the water. Remove from oven and stir in butter. Use a fork or a spatula to stir the polenta well, and return to oven for 5 to 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and stir again. Carefully taste a little bit of the polenta; if it is not completely soft, return to the oven for 5 to 10 more minutes.
• Remove polenta from oven and stir in 1/3 cup grated Parmesan, if using. Immediately spoon polenta onto plates and make a depression in the middle. Ladle on some marinara sauce and top with a generous spoonful of roasted vegetables. Sprinkle on remaining Parmesan and serve.

POLENTA LASAGNA WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until golden, about 1 minute. Stir in basil and oregano; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce. Simmer sauce until flavors combine, about 20 minutes.
• Combine spinach and 2 tablespoons water in a large skillet over medium heat. Cover and cook until spinach is wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and cool until easily handled, about 5 minutes. Gather spinach into a ball and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely.
• Combine chopped spinach, ricotta, and ½ cup Parmesan cheese in a bowl.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Divide eggplant, red bell pepper, and orange bell pepper between lined baking sheets. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Roast in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, until tender and browned in spots, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven.
• Bring 6 cups water to a boil; add salt. Pour in polenta in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low. Whisk until polenta thickens, about 5 minutes. Cover and cook, stirring vigorously every 10 minutes, until polenta is the consistency of porridge, about 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Spread half the polenta evenly in the bottom of the baking dish. Layer half of the spinach mixture, roasted vegetables, and sauce on top. Top with ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers with remaining polenta, spinach mixture, roasted vegetables, and sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese melts and sauce is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let cool before cutting so layers hold, at least 20 minutes.

ROASTED RED PEPPER POLENTA

Steps:

• To fire-roast the red peppers, place them over a high flame on a stove-top burner and roast, turning occasionally, until the skins turn black on all sides. Place the peppers in a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to steam for 10 minutes. Peel away the blackened skins from the peppers. Cut away the stems and then seed, core and coarsely chop the peppers. Place them in a food processor and puree until smooth; reserve to the side.
• In a heavy-bottom medium pot, bring 8 cups water, thesalt and the roasted red pepper puree to a boil. Add the stone-ground cornmeal in a gentle stream, whisking or stirring vigorously in the same direction as you pour it in. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring continuously for 2 to 3 minutes. Cook the polenta for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent it from sticking. When the polenta is thick, glossy and pulling away from the side of the pan, add the Pecorino Romano and butter, stirring quickly to incorporate. Pour the polenta into a medium serving dish and serve immediately.