Polenta Squares With Pomegranite Chipotle Chicken And Manchego Cheese Food

SPANISH CHICKEN STEW WITH MANCHEGO POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a cast iron skillet or large pan over medium heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, to taste, and the paprika. Brown the chicken for a couple minutes on each side, then add the chorizo and brown for a couple minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes more. Stir in the wine to deglaze the pan, then add the tomatoes, peppers and parsley. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
• In a medium pot, bring the stock to a boil over high heat. Slowly add the polenta and whisk until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the butter and cheese, then spoon the polenta into shallow bowls and make a well in the center. Fill the polenta-lined bowls with the stew and serve.

GRILLED POLENTA

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring the water and the salt to just a boil. Reduce the heat, slowly whisk in the polenta and season with pepper. Continue to whisk until the mixture starts to tighten up, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the fresh chopped herbs, 2 tablespoons of the butter and the Parmesan. Continue to stir until well combined and very thick, taste for seasoning adjustment.
• Liberally butter a 10-inch springform pan on the bottom and about 2-inches up the side. Pour in the hot polenta and with a rubber spatula, rubbed with butter, smooth out the top. Set aside to cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours to set. (This can also be done up to 1 day ahead.)
• Preheat a grill to medium.
• When ready to grill, or pan fry, remove the polenta from the pan and cut it into equal pie shapes or cut circles with a biscuit cutter. Lightly oil a grill, brush each side of the polenta with olive oil and grill or pan sear until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Arrange the polenta on a serving platter and serve hot.

ITALIAN BARBECUED CHICKEN WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, poultry seasoning, and grill seasoning. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet and brown the chicken a few minutes on each side to put some of it's flavor and drippings into the pan then transfer to oven and roast 15 minutes more or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, add 1 more tablespoon olive oil to the pan and cook pancetta or bacon, if using, until crisp. Add onions, garlic and rosemary, cook 5 minutes then add the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken stock, reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer 5 minutes more.
• Bring remaining 1 1/2 cups stock and milk to a boil, whisk in polenta and season with salt and pepper. Whisk polenta 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens, stir in butter and cheese, remove from heat.
• Remove chicken from oven and turn in barbecue sauce. Fill shallow bowls with polenta Top with chicken, spoon extra sauce over chicken and garnish with some torn basil leaves.

CHEESY POLENTA

Steps:

• Place a large pot on medium high heat. Add the butter and sauté the shallots and garlic for a couple of minutes.
• Add the stock and water to the pot and bring it to a boil.
• Once the cooking liquid is boiling add the salt and the baking soda, giving everything a good stir. Pour in the polenta, using a whisk or slotted spoon stir the polenta for a couple of minutes to break up any clumps.
• Turn the heat to low and cover for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes stir everything again, cover, and let the polenta cook for another 25 minutes.
• While the polenta is cooking shred the asiago and parmesan cheeses and mince the basil.
• When the polenta has finished cooking add the cheese, basil, and white pepper; stir until everything is thoroughly combined.
• Remove the pot from the heat and let the polenta stand covered for 10 to 15 minutes.
• The polenta will continue to thicken as it rests. The polenta is ready to serve when it has reached your desired thickness.
• A nice touch when serving the polenta is to spread a little shredded cheese across the top or to have some extra cheese on hand for people to add on their own.

CREAMY PARMESAN POLENTA

Steps:

• Stir polenta and chicken broth together in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir until the polenta is heated through completely, about 5 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat. Stir Parmesan cheese, black pepper, and paprika with the polenta mixture.

CRISPY SEASONED POLENTA SQUARES

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan, bring the water, tomatoes, salt, onion and garlic to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle boil; slowly whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon for 15-20 minutes or until polenta is thickened and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the pan. Stir in cheese and oregano. Spread into a 9-in. square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes., Cut polenta into nine squares. In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and milk. In another shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs and cilantro. Dip polenta in the egg mixture, then bread crumb mixture. , In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook polenta in oil in batches for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve with sour cream.

CHEESY POLENTA

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring milk, water, and salt to a boil. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook 20 minutes, until creamy, lifting the lid and stirring every 3 or 4 minutes to prevent sticking. Remove pot from stove, stir in pepper and butter. Gradually stir in cheese. Serve.

HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN WITH CHEESY POLENTA

Steps:

• Polenta
• Preheat the oven to 350° F
• In an oven-proof bowl, add one cup of cornmeal and water. (For firm polenta, use 4 cups water; for soft polenta, use 5 cups water)
• Add a strong pinch of kosher salt, a grind or two of black pepper, a tablespoon or two of butter, the Parmesan cheese, and give it a stir
• Cook 30 minutes and stir again
• Cook 15+ minutes, or until nearly all the liquid is absorbed and stir it again
• Roast the Garlic
• Preheat the oven to 425° F
• Wrap the heads of garlic together in aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet
• Roast for ~ 30-35 minutes
• Honey-Garlic Chicken
• While the garlic roasts prep 5-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• To maximize crispiness, pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, before seasoning the outsides with kosher salt, a few grinds of freshly cracked black pepper, and coat the skin sides with a little bit of olive oil
• Thinly slice the white ends of the scallions
• Slice the wider green ends and set them aside to be a garnish
• Heat an oven-proof skillet (cast-iron if you have it) over low to medium heat.
• Place the oil-coated skin sides of the chicken thighs down into the pan, and let them cook for ~ 5 minutes until the rendered fat from the chicken begins to cover the bottom of the pan
• Raise the heat to medium-high and readjust the chicken thighs so they're sitting in the fat
• Cook the skin side of the thighs until they're deeply browned and crispy (~ 10 minutes)
• Turn off the heat, flip the thighs onto their uncooked side, and throw in the sliced white ends of the scallions
• Take the roasted bulbs of garlic out of the oven and let them cool 5 or 10 minutes before squeezing the now-soft cloves into a bowl
• Mash the cloves into a paste with a spoon, and squeeze about ½ cup of honey over the top. Mix the two with a spoon.
• Spread the garlic-honey blend on top of the chicken thighs (which are still in the pan). Don't go crazy. A light layer will do, and you'll need to save some for your pan sauce
• Throw the skillet into your oven (which is still at 425°), and cook the thighs until the honey caramelizes and the chicken is cooked through to 165° (~ 15 minutes)
• Move the thighs from the skillet onto a plate and place the skillet back on the stovetop over medium heat
• Garliky Pan Sauce
• Melt 3 -4 Tbsp of butter in the pan
• Add the remaining honey-garlic blend, along with a couple of glugs of white wine vinegar
• Stir to incorporate it all into a sauce and also to remove the crispy chicken bits from the bottom of the pan. (This will only take a couple of minutes, no need to bring this to a simmer)
• Finish and Serve
• Scoop some creamy polenta into a bowl, load up a chicken thigh, give the whole thing a nice spoonful of sauce.
• Top it all with pepper, flaky sea salt, and sliced green scallions

QUICK COOKING CHEESY POLENTA

Steps:

• In medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock and milk to a boil. Whisk in the polenta, stirring until the polenta just pulls from the side of the pot. Stir in the Manchego cheese and serve warm.

GRILLED POLENTA SQUARES

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Add the red onion and saute, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the chicken stock, water, and salt and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat and, when the liquid is simmering, gradually sprinkle the pollinate over in a very slow, thin stream, whisking constantly in the same direction until all the grains have been incorporated and no lumps remain. Reduce the heat to very low.
• Switch to a wooden paddle and stir thoroughly every 1 or 2 minutes for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and the grains of pollinate have softened. Stir in the black pepper, cotija, and butter. The mixture will be quite thick.
• Rinse an 8 x 12 inch roasting pan with water and shake dry. Mound the pollinate into the pan and, using a rubber spatula repeatedly dipped in very hot water, spread the pollinate evenly in the pan until it is just under 1/2-inch thick. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rest for 1 hour at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
• When ready to serve, preheat a broiler to high heat. Brush the broiler pan with oil. Cut the pollinate into 8 equal squares and brush them with olive oil. Transfer the squares to the broiler pan and grill for about 8 minutes on each side, or until deep golden brown. Serve immediately.

POLENTA WITH GREEN CHILES AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees; Butter an 8x8x2-inch baking dish.
• Mix milk, Water, cornmeal, garlic, and salt in a heavy saucepan, bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly; cook until polenta is thickened, stirring often, 12 to 15 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste; stir in Parmesan cheese.
• Pour half of polenta into prepared dish; cover with half of the chilies and half of corn, sprinkle with half of the cilantro and 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese; drizzle with 1/4 cup of cream.
• REPEAT; Spoon remaining polenta over and cover with remaining chilies, corn, cilantro and cheese, pour the other 1/4 cup cream over top.
• Bake until polenta puffs and cheese begins to brown, about 25 minutes; cut into squares and serve.

POLENTA SQUARES WITH POMEGRANITE CHIPOTLE CHICKEN AND MANCHEGO CHEESE

Steps:

• Butter 9 x 12 -inch-diameter glass baking dish. Bring broth to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in corn meal. Reduce heat to medium and whisk constantly until mixture thickens, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheese, baking mix and butter; stir until cheese melt. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer polenta to prepared dish; using buttered knife, spread evenly. Cool until polenta is firm, at least 1 hour. Line baking sheet with foil. Cut polenta into squares. Transfer squares, bottom side up, to prepared sheet, fitting closely together. (Can be made 1 day ahead by cutting, covering and chilling.) Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake polenta squares until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheet. Next, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 13×9 inch pan with cooking spray. Add olive oil and onions to skillet and cook over medium for 3 minutes. Add chicken and cook with onions for 4 minutes or until chicken is just-opaque. Remove from heat and stir in chopped bacon. Sprinkle 1 cup of the shredded cheese evenly over baked polenta squares; spoon chicken mixture evenly over cheese. Drizzle pomegranate chipotle sauce over cheese, then top with remaining 1 cup of cheese. Sprinkle pecans over top. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly; sprinkle top with cilantro. Pomegranite Chipotle BBQ Sauce (submitted as separate entry as well) ½ cup organic tomato paste 4 T. organic balsamic vinegar 2 T. organic blackstrap molasses ½ cup organic brown sugar 2 T. organic gluten free Tamari ½ c. dark agave nectar ½ c. pomegranate juice ½ t. chipotle chile powder 1 T. cornstarch Mix all ingredients, except cornstarch, in a medium size bowl with whisk. Whisk in cornstarch. Transfer to medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat while whisking for 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool.

PARMESAN POLENTA SQUARES

Steps:

• Whisk both cornmeals in bowl to blend. Bring broth to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in cornmeal. Reduce heat to medium-low; whisk constantly until mixture boils and becomes very thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in 1/2 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Pour polenta into 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan; smooth top. Cool until firm, at least 30 minutes, or cover and chill overnight.
• Preheat broiler. Cut polenta into 16 squares; brush generously with oil. Arrange polenta, oiled side down, on small baking sheet. Brush top of polenta with oil. Broil until heated through and golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to platter. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan.

MEXICAN-STYLE CHILI WITH POLENTA SQUARES

Steps:

• Coat a 9" square baking pan with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil with salt. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1 cup water and cornmeal. Gradually stir into boiling water until mixture has thickened, about 1 minute. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Place in refrigerator to firm up, at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly golden, about 5 minutes.
• Add beans with their liquid, tomato sauce, chili powder, and cumin; stir to combine. Bring slowly to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Remove polenta from the refrigerator and cut into 16 squares. Coat a large griddle or frying pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat until hot. Add polenta squares, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning, until lightly browned on both sides, about 6 minutes total.
• To serve, spoon chili into 8 individual bowls. Top each bowl with 2 polenta squares and sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons cheese.

CHICKEN RUSTICA OVER POLENTA

Steps:

• Instructions: Brown bacon in large deep pan. Remove bacon, leaving 1-2 T. drippings in pan.
• Dust chicken pieces with flour, salt and pepper. Brown chicken pieces 4 minutes each side in bacon fat; remove to platter when browned both sides.
• Make sauce: Heat oil, add chopped onion; sauté over low heat 6-8 minutes. Add garlic, sauté 2 more minutes.
• Add all other sauce ingredients and mix. Add bacon and browned chicken pieces; gently simmer 30 minutes.
• Add drained beans and simmer 10 more minutes. During this last 10 minutes, make polenta.
• Polenta: combine water and salt in a large glass microwave-safe bowl; whisk in cornmeal. Cover and microwave on HIGH 4 minutes; stir. Uncover and microwave 2 minutes; stir. Microwave 2 more minutes; stir in Parmesan cheese; sprinkle with parsley.
• To serve, spoon polenta in a bowl, then top with chicken and plenty of the chunky sauce. Garnish with parsley.