polenta can be cooked soft so it’s creamy or set into a shape and then cut up. in this recipe i do the latter, then fry the pieces. you can also cut it into thick strips and bake or fry it to make polenta fries. polenta is quick and super easy, the rest of this is time consuming but still easy. anything you’d eat on pasta will be good on polenta though.

POLENTA

1 c. dry polenta (corn grits)

3 1/2 c. water or broth

black pepper

bring water/broth to a boil, then add grits. stir and then reduce heat. it will spit a lot so be careful, but let it cook until it’s quite thick. lightly oil a dish and transfer the polenta to it. spread evenly and refrigerate until firm, then turn it out onto a plate and cut into whatever shape you want. fry lightly so sides are just crisp.

PESTO

2 bunches of basil

1/4 c. walnuts

1/4 c. pumpkin seeds

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp chili flakes

zest of 1 lemon, and a big squeeze of juice

olive oil as needed

salt and black pepper

in a food processor blend everything except for oil, then add it slowly in a thin stream while the processor is running. thin to desired consistency. makes a lot, freezes well.

THE REST

2 handfuls cherry tomatoes

1 long eggplant

2 vegan sausages (i used apple sage field roast), cut lengthwise and sliced

1 bunch of kale, veined and chopped

1/3 of a yellow zucchini, cut lengthwise and sliced

splash of white wine

cut cherry tomatoes in half as well as the eggplant. score the flesh of the eggplant in a diamond pattern. coat it all with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. roast on a baking sheet at 375, flipping once until browned.

in a pan heat oil and fry the zucchini slices until browed on both sides. remove from pan. sauté the sausage until it gets some colour, then throw in the kale until it just starts to wilt. deglaze with white wine.

ASSEMBLY

put everything on the polenta and eat it.

* i also ate polenta with the leftovers from the ravioli filling cooked with a bit of broth just to make it runny.

it looked like this