Eat Your Veggies!

One of the presents I received for Christmas was Rachael Ray's Book of 10 cookbook (thanks, Aaron's mom!). Aaron had taken the liberty of flagging a few of the recipes he thought he would like to have me make for him before his mom wrapped it for me. After I opened it and he explained why there were hot pink post-it flags throughout the book, I gave my obligatory sigh and looked to see what recipes he chose. And some of them actually looked pretty good. So, we made one of them after returning to NC. (I almost said Texas. Aw.... miss you, Texas!)

Creamy Polenta with Veggie Ragu is the flagged dish that caught my eye first. And, after having eaten it, my stomach agrees with my eyes. Good stuff. The veggie ragu was hearty and filling, and easy to substitute veggies at will. But the polenta, oh my goodness. Best polenta I have ever made or eaten. And while credit is due to the recipe, kudos to de la Estancia organic polenta for making creamy, just enough grit polenta. Yum!! The whole recipe makes a lot of food, enough for at least 6 big (big!) servings, and 8-10 reasonable portions. It satisfied my winter need for hot food without it being soup, meat, or something overtly creamy, cheesy and fattening.

Creamy Polenta with Veggie Ragu

from Rachael Ray's Book of 10, page 128-129

1 large head of cauliflower, about 2 lbs, cut into bite-sized florets

3 Tbsp EVOO, plus some for drizzling

Salt and black pepper

6 cups vegetable stock

2 cups milk

1 large fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup golden raisins, 1 overflowing handful

2 cups quick-cooking polenta

1 head escarole, washed and coarsely chopped (I used spinach)

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, 2 generous handfuls, chopped

Preheat oven to 450F.

Arrange the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle it generously with EVOO, then season it with salt and pepper, tossing it around to make sure all of it is coated. Roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and tender but still has a bit of a bite.

While the cauliflower is roasting combine 4 cups of the vegetable stock and the milk in a sauce pot. Add salt and pepper and bring it up to a simmer, then turn the heat down until you are ready to add the polenta.

Place a large skillet over medium-high head with 3 Tbsp of EVOO. Add the fennel, onions, garlic, bell pepper, and red pepper flakes and season them with a little salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the veggies are approaching being tender. Add the remaining 2 cups of vegetable stock and bring it up to a simmer, then continue to cook for 4 or 5 minutes.

Add the roasted cauliflower and the raisins to veggie mix, toss them to combine and continue to cook them for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the liquids have reduced by half.

Once you have added the cauliflower to the skillet, finish the polenta. Using a whisk, add the polenta to the simmering stock and milk mixture; cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Be careful; the closest you'll probably come to having hot lava in your kitchen is a pot of bubbling polenta (she is not kidding). Once the polenta is cooked, add the chopped escarole to the skillet with the cauliflower and cook it until the escarole wilts, a couple of minutes.

Add the butter and cheese to the polenta, and stir them to melt in. If the polenta thickens too much, add a little more stock or milk to loosen it up.

Add the parsley to the skillet with the cauliflower and combine. To serve, place a helping of the polenta in the bottom of 6 shallow serving dishes and top it with some of the veggie ragu. Serve it along with a little more cheese to pass at the table.