Jump to RecipeCrispy Polenta Cake Stack, So Much Better Than Your Average, Meat And Three Veg.
How good does this crispy polenta cake stack look 🤤.
Mmmmmmm definitely loving the winter warmers I’ve been indulging in of late, like this scrumptious Crispy Polenta Cake Stack.
This crispy polenta cake stack sure looks impressive, but it’s really just the humble old fashioned, simple polenta , dressed up for date night, that’s all 🤣.
Who would have thought the humble polenta can be so tasty, and just as much the star of any main meal.
So Why Not Fancy It Up
Rather than keeping it rustic and putting everything in one bowl.
I dressed the old polenta recipe a bit, and added some texture by pan frying the polenta, that and because I love all things fried 😅.
The Recipe, Where Should I Begin
The bottom is a rich red wine tomato base sauce I often use for quick, and simple pasta dinners.
I prepared the polenta over the stove top with some stock, and when thicken, let it set in the fridge, before cutting them out into disc with a 10cm cookie cutter to begin my stack.
The polenta cake is then pan fried on a hot pan with a little oil till crispy, and while I let the polenta cake crisp up, I gently grill some eggplant & cherry tomato in the oven.
I then sautéed some chards with plenty of freshly sliced garlic for the base.
You can use whatever greens you like, spinance, kale, beet leaves, even a fresh bed of garden salad would be delish.
This is really quite a simple recipe, that does not require much cooking at all.
And the result is so delicious!
Now That All That’s Out Of The Way,
Time To Assemble
To assemble, I simply put the rich red wine and tomatoes base sauce on the bottom.
Then a handful of the cooked chards in a neat circle.
Followed by the crispy pan fried polenta cake, a char grilled eggplant on top.
And to finish it off a few roasted cherry tomatoes, and a sprinkle of parsley on top.
Now how good does that look and sound 😋.
With a glass of wine, a roaring open fire, what’s not to love about winter.
If you love your winter warmers comfort food, why not give my Vegan Thai Green Curry a try.
Link can be found here 👇🏻
https://winkyfarm.com/2019/07/17/vegan-thai-green-curry/
Hope you stay warm lovelies.
Di x
Polenta Cake Stack
How good does this polenta cake stack look 🤤. Who would have thought the humble polenta can be so tasty, and just as much the star of any dish.
Ingredients
Rich Red Wine Tomato Base Sauce
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 brown onion diced
- 5 fresh garlic diced
- 2 400g tins of diced or crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 tbsp rock salt
- 1/8 cup red wine
Sauteed Chards
- 5 fresh garlic peeled and thinly sliced
- 300 grams chards stem removed
Polenta
- 3 cups polenta
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
Other
- 1 medium size eggplant sliced
- 18 cherry tomatos
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to pan fry polenta and coat eggplant
- 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes to coat eggplant
- 10 grams parsley for garnish
Instructions
Rich Red Wine Tomato Base Sauce
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In a medium size pot, heat the oil on high heat.
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Then place garlic and onion in the hot pot and cook till fragrant, and onion is soft and translucent.
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Then add diced tomatoes, red wine, salt and bring the sauce to a boil.
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When boiled, reduce heat to low and allow sauce to simmer until ready to assemble.
Roughly 30 mins.
Polenta
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In a medium pot, add all the polenta ingredients and cook polenta on medium heat till polenta has thicken.
Roughly 5 – 10min.
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Then quickly and carefully tip cooked polenta into a lined baking tray. Roughly 60cm x 60cm tray.
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Quickly spready the polenta evenly over the tray.
Note: I say quickly as polenta will set quickly and will break apart if you move it to much.
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Then place polenta in fridge to set for 30 min.
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When polenta has set, remove polenta from tray and use a 10cm cookie cutter, cut 6 circles out of the polenta.
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Heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil in a hot pan, and gently pan fry polenta till golden brown on both sides.
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Strain excess oil on paper towel and set aside to assemble
Grilled Eggplant and Cherry Tomatoes
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Slice the eggplant width wise to create round pieces.
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Place 6 slices of eggplants on a lined baking tray, together with the cherry tomatoes.
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Lightly oil the eggplant and season eggplant with a little sea salt flakes.
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Grill both eggplant and tomoatos in a pre heated grill for 20-30 min until both are soft and tender.
Note: Tomatoes, may cook sooner, so be sure to remove them first.
Also note to turn them over every now and then to insure they cook evenly.
To Assemble
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On a dinner plate, place a large spoon full of the sauce in the center.
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Then place a handful of the cooked garlic chards in the center like a little island.
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Then sit a slice of the cripsy polenta ontop of the garlic chards.
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Followed by a slice of the grilled eggplant on top.
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Place some roasted cherry tomatos around and garnish with a little parsley.
Recipe Notes
Quickly spread the polenta evenly in tray. I say quickly, as the polenta will begin to set quickly, and it will be difficult to spread them into even thickness once they start to set.
It is important to take note of the tomatoes and eggplant in the grill. The tomatoes won’t need to take as long to cook compared to the eggplant, so be sure to keep an eye on the grill and remove tomatoes, when they look ready.
Also note to turn them over every now and then to cook evenly.
I say 18 tomatoes because I allow 3 tomatoes per serving and this serves 6, so 3 x 6 = 18.
Feel free to add more or less cherry tomatoes as you like!
I just chose chards because I had them in my veggie patch. You can use whatever greens you like, spinach, kale, beet leaves, even a fresh bed of garden salad would be delish.
I left the eggplants and the tomatoes to grill, while I cooked the polenta, so cooking time may be shorter than estimated. Cooking time may vary depending on the sequence you cook and put all the ingredients together.
*Nutrition information is approximate and is meant as a guide only*
