Polenta dumplings with cabbage and speck are a rich and tasty winter main course to enjoy hot straight from the oven with a delicate cheese sauce.
Large balls of polenta accompanied by a good cabbage, speck, and cheese sauce make this recipe flavorful and inviting.
It’s a dish with a strong taste and due to the richness of these ingredients, it can also be considered a one-dish meal.
This dish, typical of the winter period, can also be considered a leftover recipe because, for its preparation, you can use already cooked and leftover polenta and adapt the seasoning to your taste.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients for polenta dumplings
- 1 3/4 cups Pre-cooked yellow cornmeal
- 1.1 lbs Cabbage
- 3.5 oz Speck
- 2 cups Milk
- 2 cups Water
- 1/3 cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/4 cup Butter
- to taste Salt
- to taste Nutmeg
- 1 Onion
- to taste Butter flakes
- 1/3 cup Milk
- 3 teaspoons All-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- to taste Salt
- to taste Nutmeg
- 3/4 oz Butter
Preparation
To start preparing this recipe, begin with cooking the cabbage.
Clean the cabbage by removing the outer leaves and the central core, then cut it into strips and wash it well in a colander under running water.
Bring a pot of water to a boil with salt and cook the cabbage for about 3 – 4 minutes. Drain it and save the water for cooking the polenta, making sure to remove excess water thoroughly.Peel and thinly julienne the onion, sauté it in a pan with half the butter (1/8 cup) and a little oil, add the cabbage, stir and let it flavor, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes, finally add a pinch of salt and the speck cut into strips.
In a saucepan, pour the cabbage cooking water, it should be about 2 cups, add more if needed, add the milk, a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Pour the cornmeal in a thin stream and mix well with a whisk to avoid lumps; if you used pre-cooked flour, just 5 minutes of cooking is enough.
At the end of cooking, add the grated cheese (set aside a few tablespoons for the end), the remaining 1/8 cup of butter, and the nutmeg; mix and combine everything well, then let it cool.Prepare the cheese sauce: in a saucepan, pour the milk, flour, nutmeg, butter, grated cheese, and a pinch of salt, mix everything well, turn on the stove, and cook for about 2 minutes until it becomes a thick sauce.
Take balls of polenta the size of a large walnut with your hands or an ice cream scoop, wet your hands in water and round them well, then place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, approximately 27 pieces came out.
Take a ceramic baking dish with a diameter of 11 inches and butter it well, pour two tablespoons of cheese sauce, spread it on the bottom, then add part of the seasoning. Now position the polenta balls, sprinkle with the seasoning, the sauce, butter flakes, and grated cheese.Bake the polenta dumplings with cabbage and speck in a preheated oven at 350°F with traditional cooking for about 15 minutes, at the end turn on the grill and brown for another 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve the dumplings hot and steaming.
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