Ham Pea Polenta Cakes Food

HAM, PEA & POLENTA CAKES

Steps:

• Put the sweet and white potatoes into a pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10-15 mins or until really tender. Drain well and mash, check the seasoning, then set aside to cool.
• Tip the mash into a large bowl along with the peas, ham hock, mint, zest, spring onions, 3 tbsp polenta (or 2 tbsp flour), the cayenne pepper and some seasoning. Whisk the egg white and add it, too. Mix well.
• Form the mixture into 6 cakes. Tip the remaining 3 tbsp polenta onto a plate and roll the cakes in it to coat. The mix will be quite wet at this stage, but the extra polenta will help to keep them together during cooking. Cover and chill for 15 min.
• Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the cakes and fry for 3-4 mins each side or until golden and warmed through. Meanwhile, poach the remaining 3 eggs in a pan of barely simmering water for about 3 mins until the yolk is soft and the white is set.
• Put the cakes on plates with a spoonful of crème fraîche, top with the poached eggs and a little cayenne. Serve with dressed rocket.

CHEESY POLENTA AND HAM GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until softened but not browned, stirring frequently.
• Add whipping cream and Parmesan cheese; mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook 2 to 4 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
• Arrange polenta slices, overlapping and layering if necessary, in bottom of sprayed baking dish. Top with ham and Swiss cheese. Pour sauce over top.
• Bake at 425°F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley.

POLENTA STACKS WITH HAM, SPINACH, AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Position a rack about 6-inches from the broiler and preheat to high. Cut the polenta into 8 squares and transfer to a sheet pan. Pat dry with a paper towel and lightly brush with olive oil. Broil until tops are browned, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from oven.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and pepper flakes, stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Put the spinach in the pan and season with salt, cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Reserve pan.
• Divide the wilted spinach among each polenta square. Divide slices of the meat on top of the spinach and top each square with the cheese. Place under the broiler until cheese melts and just begins to brown, another 4 minutes.
• Heat the sauce in the skillet used for the spinach. Ladle some sauce onto each of 4 plates. Place 2 polenta cakes in the middle of each plate and serve.
• Put the broth and milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta, reduce the heat to low, and cook, whisking occasionally, until the polenta is thick and creamy, about 15 minutes.
• Pull the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the cheese, butter, salt, and pepper. Pour into a baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

POLENTA WITH PEAS AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook until crisp, 5 minutes then remove to a plate. Add the liquids to the sauce pot and bring to boil. Whisk polenta into the liquid and continue to whisk 2 to 3 minutes to thicken. Season with salt and pepper and stir in peas to heat through 1 minute more. Remove from heat, stir in cheese and adjust seasoning. Garnish with pancetta.

GRILLED CHICKPEA POLENTA CAKES WITH CHIVE OIL AND LEMON

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan on the grates of the grill. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add chickpeas, stock and salt and pepper and cook until chickpeas are very soft. *Transfer mixture carefully, in batches, to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta, stirring constantly, and continue whisking until mixture begins to bubble. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thickened and cooked, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Spread the mixture into a baking sheet, cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator until cold and very firm, about 4 hours. When the polenta is firm, remove from the refrigerator and, using a 2-inch ring mold, cut out circles of the polenta.
• Preheat a grill to medium-high.
• Season the polenta circles with salt and pepper on both sides, brush with oil and grill on both sides until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from grill, drizzle with chive oil and garnish with lemon zest and chives.
• Combine ingredients in a blender and blend for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

HARD POLENTA CAKES

Steps:

• In a saucepan combine the milk, water, bay and cayenne. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat and season generously with salt. Take the seasoning to the edge of too salty. To do this you MUST taste as you go. Polenta acts as a salt eraser, if you don't season abundantly here you will never recover from it.
• Once the liquid is at a boil and is seasoned appropriately, sprinkle in the polenta whisking constantly. Once the polenta is combined switch over to a wooden spoon and stir frequently until the polenta has become thick. Taste the polenta to see if it has cooked through. If it still feels mealy and grainy, add some more milk or water and cook it to a thick consistency. Repeat this process, as needed, until the polenta feels smooth on your tongue, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the chopped sage and mascarpone.
• Line a 7 by 7-inch square pan with plastic wrap. Pour the polenta into the prepared pan. Cover the top with more plastic smoothed onto the surface of the polenta. Chill in the refrigerator until needed. (All of this can totally be done ahead of time, like yesterday! Cool!)
• When ready to use, remove the polenta from the pan and cut into desired shapes. Coat a nonstick saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot and starting to smoke just a little, add the polenta shapes. Cook the polenta on both sides and finish by sprinkling with a little bit grated Parmigiano. Transfer to a serving platter and serve while hot.
• What a corncake!!!!