The polenta and cotechino baskets are super easy, very tasty, and ideal for a delicious appetizer during the holidays. If you have leftover cotechino, perhaps after Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, prepare them for lunch the next day. You’ll see how delicious they are! They are delicious warm just prepared, but also at room temperature or maybe slightly warm reheated in the oven.
A delicious appetizer that I often and gladly prepare in winter, not only for the holidays. In fact, I find that cotechino is excellent eaten during autumn or winter and not just for the holidays.
I’ll leave you the polenta and cotechino tartines which are really tasty, the cotechino and lentil bites and you can’t miss the classic cotechino with lentils.
Then talking about the holidays, the gourmet panettone is delicious filled with whatever you like, or the savory gingerbread men
Let’s find out right after the photo, as usual, how to prepare these polenta and cotechino baskets!!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients for polenta and cotechino baskets
- 7 oz taragna polenta flour (or quick-cooking polenta)
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 11 oz cotechino
- 3 1/2 oz lentils
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 tsp parsley
Tools
- 2 Pots
- 1 Muffin pan
- 1 Wooden spoon
Preparation of polenta and cotechino baskets
To prepare the polenta and cotechino baskets, first prepare the polenta.
You can use the long-cooking polenta by bringing 3 1/2 cups of water or broth to a boil, add the polenta gradually and stir often with a whisk.
Cook for the time indicated on the package, add salt.
Meanwhile, cook the lentils in plenty of lightly salted water.
Once cooked, drain them and set aside.
Once the polenta is cooked, place 2 heaping tablespoons in the muffin molds and press them with the back of a spoon to form the baskets.
Let them cool while we remove the skin from our cotechino, which we will have already cooked, even the day before.
Cut the cotechino into thin slices.
Stuff the baskets of polenta and cotechino with a heaping tablespoon of lentils and a slice of cotechino.
Bake the baskets in a preheated static oven at 392°F letting them dry for at least 10 minutes.
Our polenta baskets are ready; just arrange them on serving trays, sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, and…
ENJOY YOUR MEAL
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use instant polenta?
– yes, you can use instant polenta, taragna or white.
If I have leftover braised lentils, can I use them?
– sure, lentils are fine in any way, even blended to make them creamy
If I don’t have cotechino, what else can I fill the baskets with?
– with speck or cooked ham or even raw ham or diced pancetta
Other recipes
If you want to see other types of recipes, you can return to HOME.
