PREPARATION: 20 min
COOKING TIME: 1 hour and 10 min
You will be amazed by the goodness of the polenta and black cabbage croutons. A perfect match. Have you ever tried kale pesto? A winter alternative to Ligurian pesto with typically summer basil. It is a pesto that is very suitable for seasoning pasta, but very good on bread bruschetta and, even better, polenta.
If you do as I have suggested several times, you too will have slices of polenta in the freezer. I repeat again: when you make polenta, make it in abundance. Let the leftover one cool, cut it into slices and put them in the freezer spread out on a tray with parchment paper. When they are frozen you can collect them all together in a bag and keep them in the freezer ready for use. It is very convenient to always have them, because they are very pleasant with sautéed vegetables, cold cuts, cheese. Among other things, it doesn't matter to fry them, but it is sufficient to roast them in the oven. Follow me and I'll explain how.
Ingredients for 6 people
For the polenta:
200 g of polenta flour
200ml of water
200 ml of milk
30 g of butter
extra virgin olive oil
salt
For the pesto:
1 kg of black cabbage
1 medium white onion
1 clove of garlic
50 g of fresh pecorino
extra virgin olive oil
salt
Preparing the polenta:
Bring the water, milk, butter and salt to the boil.
Add the flour in a well, mixing with a whisk. Cook for 40 minutes and add more water or milk to taste if the consistency is too thick.
When cooked, pour a 3 cm layer of polenta into a well-oiled pan and leave to cool.
Cut the polenta with a small knife into small shapes as desired, then fry in a pan with olive oil until perfectly browned on both sides.
Keep warm.
Preparation of pesto
Heat a little oil in a pan, then add the finely chopped onion and garlic. Add the cabbage that has already been cleaned, washed and removed from the toughest and thickest ribs.
Let simmer for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, then add 1 glass of hot water, salt, pepper, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, taking care to add more hot water if necessary.
Set aside a few cooked leaves for decoration. Blend with oil and previously grated fresh pecorino.
Pour a spoonful of pesto on the bottom of the plate, lay 2 or 3 slices of still hot polenta and garnish with cooked cabbage leaves.
WINE PAIRING
DIADEMA AURUM COLATUM IGT TOSCANA
RED AURUM COLATUM
The maximum expression of Sangiovese combines in a perfect union with the excellent productions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, giving a wine rich in elegance, structure and complexity, a worthy representative of the best Tuscan tradition.
TASTING NOTES
Dense but not impenetrable purple color, in the glass it releases notes of cassis, lily of the valley and blackberries, centifolia rose and candied violet, nuances of lavender and spike Tuscan and a touch of mustard and black pepper to give rhythm to everything.
The sip is soft and well defined in style.
Structure and fruit are accompanied by spicy and balsamic notes.
A modern wine, with firm and friendly tannins.
Finish that melts into sweetness while maintaining the intriguing prospect of further refinement.
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
TOSCANO IGT
AURUM COLATUM EXTRAVIRGIN OLIVE OIL IGP TUSCAN
The extra virgin olive oil IGP, the result of cold pressing at the Villa l'Olmo farm, is a blend of Moraiolo, Frantoio and Leccino.
The manual harvest and the expert processing of the fruit constitute the fundamental heritage for obtaining our extra virgin olive oil, a characteristic Tuscan oil, renowned throughout the world for its organoleptic qualities.The meticulous attention paid to the product from the land to the bottle allows us to bring drops of Tuscan gold to the table.
* sources: Tuscany in the Kitchen - Paola Baccetti, Laura Giusti, Franco Palandra, GIALLOZAFFERANO.COM