The vegetable minestrone and polenta is a complete, light yet extraordinarily tasty and fragrant dish thanks to the variety and richness of ingredients. This is a recycling recipe, created to use leftover minestrone and polenta; the result was more than excellent. The vegetable minestrone and polenta is easy and takes just over an hour to prepare. Vegetables can be chosen according to taste and seasonality. It is a dish to be enjoyed hot, invigorating, a true comfort food. We can also use commercially available minestrones.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 3-4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 3 Carrots
- 1 Onion
- to taste Fresh turmeric
- 1 Celery stalk
- 2 Red potatoes
- 3.5 oz Peas (optional if not in season)
- 7 oz Beans or chickpeas (cooked)
- 9 oz Chard
- to taste Mixed mushrooms
- 9 oz Pumpkin (diced)
- 1 leaf Bay leaf
- to taste Coarse salt
- to taste Extra virgin olive oil
- to taste Pepper
- 3.5 oz Coarse cornmeal
- 1.7 cups Water
- to taste Grated cheese
Preparation
To make our delicious vegetable minestrone and polenta, the beans (or chickpeas) should already be cooked.
We can use either fresh or frozen peas.
Clean the chard, removing the spoiled parts.
Wash them under running water and let them drain.
Remove the pumpkin peel, seeds, and inner filaments, and dice it.
Dice the carrots, celery stalk, and potatoes (after peeling them).
Slice the onion into thick slices. Peel a couple of inches of turmeric root.
In a tall pot, place all the vegetables, except the mushrooms, adding spices (bay leaf and turmeric).
Fill the pot with water, covering the contents by about an inch. Cover and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, let the minestrone cook for at least 45 minutes over medium heat.
After 30 minutes, add the mushrooms (already cleaned), adjust with salt and pepper, and continue cooking.
While the minestrone cooks, prepare the polenta. Put the water in a pot and heat it. When hot (but not boiling), add the polenta flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring often over low heat, until the polenta becomes firm (about 20 minutes). Adjust the salt to taste.
Pour the polenta into a small baking dish lined with parchment paper and level it. The ideal thickness is about one inch. Let it cool, then cut it into cubes. When the minestrone is ready to be served, add the polenta cubes, table grated cheese, a drizzle of raw extra virgin oil, and enjoy this succulent single dish.
Additional idea. We can grill the polenta for a few minutes on a griddle.
