Pumpkin Gratin Polenta With Spinach Mushrooms And Feta Recipes

CREAMY PUMPKIN POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring water or stock and salt to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.
• Stir in pumpkin.
• SLOWLY pour in corn meal while continuously stirring.
• An easy way of doing this is to pick up handfuls of cornmeal and let it run through your fingers in a very SLOW stream. NEVER STOP STIRRING.
• If mixture gets too thick and impossible to stir, add more boiling liquid.
• Once cornmeal has been added, stir in the small pieces of cream cheese (a little at a time) until cheese is completely melted and incorporated into the mixture.
• Continue cooking and stirring for about twenty minutes.
• If you don't cook the polenta long enough, you won't achieve the proper creamy consistency.
• Continue to add additional liquid as necessary.
• The proper consistency should be that of a thick Cream Of Wheat Cereal.
• Your spoon should be able to stand straight up when stuck in the middle and the mixture should pull away from the sides of the pot.
• Serve with pat of butter and enjoy!

PUMPKIN POLENTA WITH CHORIZO AND BLACK BEANS

Steps:

• Heat a medium nonstick skillet over med-high heat; add in olive oil and chorizo; cook for a minute or two, then add in the onions; cook 3-4 minutes.
• Add in the black beans and red peppers; heat through for another minute or two.
• In a big saucepan, bring the chicken stock and butter to a boil; stir in the pumpkin.
• Add the polenta and stir until it masses (about 2 minutes).
• Remove pan from heat; add in thyme, salt, pepper, and cheese; stir to combine and adjust seasoning to taste.
• Pour or spoon the polenta onto plates; top with chorizo and beans; garnish with parsley.

POLENTA GRATIN WITH SPINACH AND WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes.
• Add the shallot and cook over moderately low heat for 3 minutes. Add the spinach, thyme and nutmeg and cook over high heat until the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spread the spinach mixture evenly in a 1.5 quart baking dish. (can add pre-cooked chicken, shrimp or sausage).
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour over moderately high heat.
• Add the stock and cream and whisk until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper and pour over the spinach mixture.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup Gruyère over spinach and sauce.
• Arrange the polenta slices next in overlapping concentric circles, pressing to submerge the polenta slightly.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Gruyère on the polenta, cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
• Preheat the broiler. Uncover the polenta and broil 6 inches from the heat for about 2 minutes, or until golden. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

POLENTA WITH MUSHROOMS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Brush both sides of polenta slices with 1 tablespoon oil; place on a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake 20-25 minutes on each side or until crisp., Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and shallot; cook and stir 12-14 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms start to brown. Add sherry; cook, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan., In a small bowl, mix flour, salt and pepper; stir in broth until smooth. Stir into pan. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Add spinach; cook and stir over medium-low heat until slightly wilted, about 2 minutes., Arrange polenta on a platter; top with mushroom mixture.

SOFT POLENTA WITH MUSHROOMS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• In a pan, bring 3 cups water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Stir with a whisk as you sprinkle the polenta into the boiling water. Let the mixture cook for 3-5 minutes, or for the time given in the packet instructions. Add extra (boiling) water if necessary, the polenta should be nice and soft. Grate in nearly all of the Parmesan. Taste and season with freshly ground pepper and more salt, if necessary.
• When cooked, pour half of the polenta onto a flat plate that you've greased with olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for tomorrow.
• While the polenta cooks, sauté the mushrooms in a small splash of olive oil over a medium-high heat for around 10 minutes. Add the garlic at the end and cook briefly, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Remove the mushrooms from the pan and add the spinach. Stir-fry the spinach until just wilted. Remove the spinach from the pan and fry an egg (you might need to add another small splash of olive oil).
• Stir the butter into the cooked polenta and spoon it into a deep plate. Arrange the mushrooms and spinach on the polenta and top with the fried egg. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Top with the rest of the Parmesan, in slices.

PUMPKIN GRATIN POLENTA WITH SPINACH MUSHROOMS AND FETA

Steps:

• Bake the butternut pumpkin. If you're doing this ahead of time, just cut it into a few pieces, scoop out the seeds, and place on a baking tray and bake at moderate heat for an hour or so until soft, then remove the flesh from the skin. If you're in a hurry, skin and seed the pumpkin then cut into smallish cubes. Toss with a bit of olive oil, then bake at 350F for about 20-30 minutes until soft. Puree it with a potato masher or implement of choice.
• Stir the polenta into the cold water in an ample pot, add the vegetable stock, and bring it to a simmer, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the polenta is thick and tender, about half an hour. Remove from the heat, then stir in the pureed pumpkin and the butter, and add a little salt and pepper. Remember that you will be layering it with salty feta, so use a light hand. Pour the polenta onto a large baking sheet and smooth it into a 1/2 inch layer. Allow it to stiffen (30 minutes or more), then cut into rectangles about 2x3 inches in size.
• Meanwhile, peel, halve and slice the red onions. Warm the oil in a large non-stick pan over a low-moderate heat. Add the onions and a dash of salt, and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then, then remove the lid and cook another 15 minutes or more. When the onions are very soft, add the balsamic vinegar to taste and cook another 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.
• Wipe and slice the mushrooms. Heat the butter or oil and cook the mushrooms until they're a lovely dark brown. Season with Salt and pepper and set aside.
• Remove tough stems from the spinach and wash the leaves well, then chop roughly. In a large saucepan, heat a bit of oil and add the peeled and chopped garlic. Saute for a minute or two, then add the spinach. Put the lid on the pan, and cook for several minutes, turning the leaves with tongs every couple of minutes to stop them sticking. When the leaves are wilted and tender, remove them from the heat and tip them out into a large colander to drain any liquid.
• In a bowl, mix together the spinach, mushrooms, onions and most of the crumbled feta. Lightly oil a large gratin or lasagne dish. Spoon a little of the vegetable mixture into one end of the dish, then start overlapping layers of the polenta slices with layers of the vegetable mixture, leaving some of the filling showing between layers of polenta. You'll have to judge how upright to layer the slices based on the size of your dish. Once you have used up all the filling and polenta, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes. It should be bubbling hot, and the cheese on top will be golden brown in spots. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then serve.