serves
4
prep
5 minutes
cook
35 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
4
people
preparation
5
minutes
cooking
35
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
I only became familiar with polenta as an adult and always thought it was a northern Italian dish. Several years ago, however, I discovered that Nonna used to make polenta for the family in Italy. She would layer soft polenta with a simple passata sauce. Food of that era in southern Italy was basic yet nourishing, filling and flavourful.
Ingredients
Sugo
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 400 g tomato passata
- 1 tsp salt
- few basil leaves, optional
Polenta
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 cups polenta
- 3 tbsp olive oil or vegan butter
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes or vegan parmesan, plus extra to serve
Instructions
- In a medium pot, heat the oil on low and fry the garlic for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn. Pour in the passata, salt and basil, if using. Cover and simmer on low while you cook the polenta.
- In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to the boil, along with the salt. Once boiling, start whisking the water and then slowly pour in the polenta while you continue to whisk. Lower the heat and continue to stir until there are no lumps.
- Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the polenta grains have softened. Take off the heat and hand-beat in the butter or oil and nutritional yeast or parmesan.
- Spoon the polenta into serving bowls, then generously pour over the sugo. Or to do this Nonna-style, make a layer of polenta and spoon over some sugo, then spread over another layer of polenta and finish with more sugo.
- Garnish with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast.
Recipe and images from A Vegan Summer in Southern Italy by Nadia Fragnito
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
I only became familiar with polenta as an adult and always thought it was a northern Italian dish. Several years ago, however, I discovered that Nonna used to make polenta for the family in Italy. She would layer soft polenta with a simple passata sauce. Food of that era in southern Italy was basic yet nourishing, filling and flavourful.
