Ingredients
2 large fennel bulbs
3 large onions, yellow
5 tbsp olive oil, fruity green
1 salt & pepper to taste
2/3 cup dry red wine
2 large leeks, white only
1 tsp butter
6 cup vegetable broth, or more
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3 oz gorgonzola blue cheese
1 flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Directions
Trim the fennel bulbs, wash them well, cut them in half lengthwise,
and then slice them about 1/4-inch thick. Peel the onions and slice
them the same way.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large non-stick pan and cook
the fennel and onions in it slowly, stirring often, adding a little
salt and pepper to taste, until they are completey soft and golden
brown. Stir in the wine, and continue cooking until it almost all
simmers away, then set the pan aside.
Clean the leeks thoroughly, cut them in half lengthwise, then slice
them quite thinly crosswise. Heat the remaining olive oil and the
butter in a non-stick pan and saute the leeks in it, stirring them
often, until they are soft and beginning to color. Add a little
sprinkle of salt -- but not too much.
Heat 6 cups of broth in a medium-sized saucepan and whisk in the
polenta. Lower the heat and simmer the polenta, stirring with a
wooden spoon constantly, or at least very often, until it is thick
and smooth, about 30 minutes. Stir in the sauteed leeks; break the
Gorgonzola into chunks and stir it in. Keep stirring until the cheese
is all melted into the cornmeal. The polenta should be thick and
smooth, but not stiff. If it is holding a shape as you stir it,
gradually mix in a bit more vegetable broth.
Meanwhile, warm up the carmelized fennel and onion mixture. This too
could be moistened with a bit of vegetable broth if needed.
Ladle the polenta into warm, shallow bowls or onto warm plates, and
spoon some of the fennel and onion mixture around the polenta.
Scatter some fresh flat-leaf parsley across the top and serve at once
with a good red wine.
Source: "The New Vegetarian Epicure" by Anna Thomas
Servings: 6 servings
Polenta With Leeks & Gorgonzola Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bread; Breads; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
Academics have traced the existance of recipes way back into ancient history, certainly as far back as the early Egyptians, and possibly even further than that. Interesting though that maybe, these, early recipes were just primitive hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing meals.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to historians are a few clay tablets in ancient Sumerian which show the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making people feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. Later on, in The time of the romans 25BC a man called Apicius created a number of scripts which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy Romans. In his works, he recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were split into appetizers, main meal and desserts, something that is very familiar to us today. Additionally, he recounts how the chefs of Roman times used many herbs and spices, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens like basil, rue and parsley. Over the succeeding few centuries, the rich families of the West tried to serve the most exotic meals, and consequentially chefs and their collection of recipes were greatly in demand. Nevertheless, it was during the 19th century that cookery and recipe publications reached a high level of popularity. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated their lives to collecting, verifying, and recording recipes that were common in the better off homes of the day. When we get to the 20th century, cooking publications were increasing in popularity mostly as a result of better eduction, more spare time and having more money. |
We hope you enjoy this Polenta With Leeks & Gorgonzola recipe.
