Spring: Polenta Terrine w/ Roasted Vegetables

Pinch me. It's finally spring!
For Meatless Mondays and the first day of spring, I made this beautiful vegetarian meal.

I saw it on Lisa's site a while back and remembered that I wanted to make this once spring started to show up.

Think spring. Think produce.
Primavera!

Polenta is my new friend. I buy this wonderful stuff from my Italian market and it cooks up in just a few minutes. It's stick to your ribs and goes so well with meats or chicken, or just some caramelized onions on top. It's the mashed potatoes I never loved.

Some people cook it with chicken stock for a richer flavor, and others cook it with milk. In this recipe, I cooked it with water and butter. I added some Parmigiano Reggiano cheese at the end for a bit of umph.

This is a great way to use up roasted or grilled vegetables.
It makes a nice presentation for company too.



Polenta Terrine w/ Roasted Vegetables Primavera:

1 cup of good Italian polenta (cornmeal)
3 1/2 cups cold water
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Roasted Vegetables: any combination will do (all diced uniformly)

diced red peppers
diced zucchini
diced carrots
diced eggplant
diced red onion
cut up asparagus
diced yellow peppers
cut up mushrooms
olive oil and kosher salt
any fresh herb, parsley, basil or oregano, chopped

1/2 cup of fresh or shredded mozzarella cheese (if using fresh, then use 4 slices).

To roast veggies, lay all of your cut up vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle w/ olive oil and kosher salt.

Roast in a 400F oven for about 30 minutes until caramelizing. Remove and sprinkle with the chopped fresh herbs. The roasted vegetables can be made a day ahead.
Set aside.



Line a 9" loaf pan w/ wax or parchment paper.

Boil the water with butter and salt and gradually add the polenta. Keep stirring for about 5 minutes. It will bubble and spit at you, so keep stirring. It should be a nice mashed potato consistency.

With a rubber spatula, spread half of the polenta on the bottom of the paper lined loaf pan.
Top with the roasted vegetables (about a cup) and top with the mozzarella cheese.



Spread the rest of the polenta mush on top and even it out with the spatula.

Cover with foil and place in the fridge overnight to solidify.

When ready to serve, remove the solid block from the loaf pan, using the paper edges to lift it out.



Invert it on a cutting board and slice into 1-2" slices. Place the slices on a greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.





Place in the oven for a few minutes to warm and melt the cheese (about 6 minutes on 400F).

Serve plated with your favorite tomato sauce over and enjoy!



Happy Spring!

Share|