Reader's Digest Mediterranean Cookbook/Tess Mallos 1996

Polenta with Vegetables (Infarinata)
Servings Preparation Time Cooking Time Calories Saturated Fat Fat Sodium Carbohydrates Protein Cholesterol
8-10


INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 350g/12 oz chopped vegetables (eg carrot, celery, broccoli with stems)
425ml/3/4 pint cold water 350g/12 oz polenta (yellow cornmeal) 1 teaspoon salt
1 litre/1-3/4 pints boiling water



1 Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and cook gently for about 6-7 minutes, until it begins to soften. Add the vegetables, cover, and cook over a low heat for about 15 minutes, until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, uncover and set aside.
2 Meanwhile, pour the cold water into a large, heavy saucepan, add the polenta and stir well. Place over a medium-high heat, add the salt and boiling water and stir until beginning to bubble. Reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Partly cover the pan with a lid to prevent the polenta spitting over the stove, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the vegetables and cook for 10 minutes more.
3 Lightly oil a 15x25cm/7x10 inch loaf pan. Pack the hot polenta mixture into the pan, smoothing the surface. Turn the polenta loaf onto a flat platter. Cut half the loaf into thick slices of about 1 cm/1/2 inch and sprinkle with the remaining olive oil before serving. Cover and store the remainder of the polenta loaf in the refrigerator and cut as required. Serve any leftover polenta loaf by slicing it and frying in olive oil.

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