Polenta with Sicilian Tomato Sauce

rating
5/5

Traditionally polenta is peasant food - hearty and rustic.

However, it has now become an elegant and fashionable dish, toasted or fried in good olive oil or butter. You can serve it either way in this recipe, soft or fried, with a piquant fresh tomato and chilli sauce.

To make soft polenta decadently rich and wonderful, stir in some mascarpone, sliced Taleggio or crumbled gorgonzola cheese before serving.

ingredients

  • 1 litre water

  • salt

  • 175g polenta

  • 25g unsalted butter

  • olive oil for frying

  • grated parmesan

  • basil

  • 3 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 small onion, chopped

  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

  • 400g can chopped tomatoes

  • 2 tbsp capers

  • 2 tbsp pine nuts

  • 115 g kalamata olives

method

Tomato Sauce

  1. To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil and gently sweat the onion and garlic until soft. Add the chilli and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, capers, pine nuts and olives and simmer gently, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until reduced and thickened. Stir in the torn basil leaves and season.

Polenta

  1. Make the polenta: bring the water and salt to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the polenta gradually in a thin, steady stream, whisking all the time. Reduce the heat as low as it will go and continue stirring the polenta with a wooden spoon until it is thick and smooth and has absorbed all the liquid. This takes about 15-20 minutes.

  2. When the polenta leaves the sides of the pan clean, stir in the butter. You can serve the polenta like this - all fluffed up like mashed potato, adding some grated cheese and black pepper, if wished, or you can pour it into an oiled tin and leave to cool. When cold, cut into squares and fry in olive oil or butter until crisp and golden.

  3. Serve the sauce with the polenta, sprinkled with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and garnish with more basil.