POLENTA de la TIA ROSA

Paraguay - With all the muchachos working on the boat, I've had to feed what sometimes looks like an army.  Getting vegetables into this group used to "carne asada" has been a mission of mine in the last 3 years.  But never fear, Nini's here!

*** Don't be afraid by the list of veggies... get everybody in the kitchen and start chopping... really easy dish to prepare and beautiful golden curst with peeking jewels result... kids love it! ****

POLENTA is traditional dish from Northern Italy and the Alps region of France, Swiss, Austria, but I find it around South America a lot: Argentina, and here in Paraguay.  Even found it in Zimbabwe under the name of "Sadza." It is made of boiled cornmeal, either yellow or white. Once prepared, it can be served as is or baked.  I can find a hundred different ways of serving Polenta...

This dish will feed a group of hungry men. It's a power feeder. Good carb base, with olive oil and a bounty of summer vegetables, all held together by a couple of eggs. It can be prepared ahead of time and warmed up last minute when you have a big family dinner or group gathering. Nothing better to take to a BBQ, and one sneaky way to have kids eat veggies.

The greens I use here may be basil leaves, swiss chards, spinach, or green onions. As for the bell peppers and tomatoes, I choose a variety of colors: green, orange, yellow, red.. and also of flavors: chili peppers if you like it hot.

Ingredients: (If you grow your own veggies, use whatever is in season!)

• 2 cups onions, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups bell peppers, chopped
• 2 cups zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups greens, chopped
• 3 cups tomato, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 cups polenta
• 9 cups water
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 1 bunch basil leaves

Production:

- Heat up the oven on high.
- Wash and chop all the vegetables.
- Prepare the polenta as directed. The one I chose asks for 3 cups of boiling water per 1 cup of dry polenta.
- In a large pot on the stove, heat up the olive oil and pour the onion and garlic. Stir for a minute, until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add the bell peppers. To make it colorful, choose a mix of yellow, green and orange peppers. You can add some hot peppers if you like it hot. Stir for 2 minutes.
- Add the zucchini and chopped greens. Stir until reduced, for about 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and stir for another 2 to 3 minutes.

In the big pot, mix the polenta to the vegetables. Add the eggs, salt and pepper if you like (I don't salt) and mix well. Decorate with basil leaves.

Coat a 2" deep oven pan with olive oil. Pour the mixture in it. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake in hot oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until top and sides are crispy.

Nutrition Facts

Servings: 12

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 95

• Total Fat: 3.65g
• Cholesterol: 36mg
• Sodium: 65mg
• Total Carbs: 12.08g
•     Dietary Fiber: 2.56g
•     Sugars: 4.41g
• Protein: 3.79g

Until next meal

Domino Nini