The POLENTA TARTLETS WITH COTECHINO AND LENTILS are an excellent festive dish that can be served either as an appetizer or as a main course, depending on the occasion; they can even be offered after the New Year’s Eve dinner, before the toast, as is a good-luck tradition in many parts of the country.
The dish is simple and can be prepared well in advance. The polenta should be made following the traditional recipe and then left to cool so it can be easily shaped; similarly, the cotechino should be cooked and cooled to be properly portioned. The lentils, of course, should be cooked well but without turning into a purée.
Assembling the plate is child’s play, as is warming it in the oven shortly before serving. You will have, with no effort, a dish that follows tradition in content but innovates in form, making it even more appetizing and cheerful, as the holidays require.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 8 tartlets
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups fine cornmeal (fioretto)
- 3 1/8 cups water
- 2.08 cups milk
- salt
- 1 precooked cotechino (about 1.1 lb (500 g))
- 1/2 cup lentils (dry), rinsed
- 1 carrot
- Half onion
- Half stalk celery
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- to taste salt
- rosemary
Tools
- 8 Molds tartlet molds 4 in
Steps
In a large pot place the water and the milk and bring to a boil.
At this point add salt, a drizzle of olive oil and begin pouring in the cornmeal, whisking by hand to prevent lumps from forming.
Once you have finished adding the cornmeal, continue stirring with a wooden spoon every two or three minutes so the polenta cooks evenly and does not burn.
After about 40 minutes, as soon as the polenta easily pulls away from the sides of the pot, remove it from the heat and let it cool slightly.Butter tartlet molds, preferably those with removable bottoms; fill them with the polenta and, using wet hands, compact it and press it against the walls.
Bake in a preheated conventional (static) oven at 392°F for 15-18 minutes. Then turn off the oven and let cool with the oven door slightly ajar.Meanwhile, in a saucepan sauté a chopped mix of celery, carrot and onion. Add the lentils, previously rinsed, the tomato paste, season with salt, cover with water and cook for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, take care of cooking the cotechino. Place the precooked cotechino in a pot completely covered with cold water and, from the boil, cook for 20 minutes or follow the instructions on the package.
Then drain it, remove the casing and cut it into slices about 3/8 in thick (1 cm).
Unmold the polenta tartlets, fill them with the lentils, add a slice of cotechino and finish with a sprig of rosemary.
