Polenta With Beans And Tomatoes Recipes

POLENTA WITH TOMATO-BRAISED BEANS

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add parsley and garlic to pan; sauté 1 minute.
• Add sage and tomatoes; cook 12 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and beans to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Bring 4 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add polenta in a thin stream, stirring constantly. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Cover and cook 10 minutes.
• Uncover and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Uncover and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Cover and cook 5 minutes; uncover and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve polenta with bean mixture.

CALZAGATTI (PAN-FRIED POLENTA AND BEANS)

Steps:

• Bring 3 cups of water to boil in a large pot. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle in polenta, whisking constantly, to avoid lumps from forming. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until polenta is creamy and no longer gritty, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat.
• While polenta is cooking, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet. Add guanciale and saute until crispy. Add minced onion, garlic clove, and rosemary and cook until garlic is lightly browned and fragrant but not burned, about 1 minute. Remove and discard garlic clove. Stir in cranberry beans and tomatoes and simmer until thickened a bit, about 5 minutes.
• Fold bean mixture into polenta and mix well. Pour into a 9-inch square glass dish or silicone cake pan and allow to cool, about 30 minutes.
• Flip cooled polenta over and set out, covered with cheesecloth, to air-dry until most of the moisture has evaporated, 8 hours to overnight.
• Cut dried polenta into 2x3-inch rectangles.
• Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. Add a few polenta rectangles to the hot oil and cook until brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes, without disturbing the calzagatti. Flip, and cook until brown and crisp on the other side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Continue with the rest of the calzagatti, adding more oil as necessary.

WHITE BEANS, POLENTA, ROASTED TOMATOES AND GARLIC

Steps:

• To make the beans, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Fill a small saucepan with enough water to cover the garlic. When water boils add garlic and cook one minute. Drain and repeat this procedure three times -- it will eliminate the harshness and leave the flavor. Mash the garlic with garlic press; set aside.
• Lightly oil a roasting pan and place tomatoes in pan. Roast 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, until juice is released and skins have puckered. When tomatoes are ready, peel and add to pot large enough to hold all the ingredients for the beans.
• Add the garlic, sage, stock and beans. Simmer until mixture is thick and most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt if desired and pepper.
• To make the polenta meanwhile, boil water in small pot with the butter, milk and salt.
• When water boils, reduce heat slightly and slowly whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to very low and cook the polenta 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
• To serve, spoon polenta into a shallow bowl or plate and spoon bean sauce over top.