Mediterranean Sautéed Vegetables with Cheesy Polenta
Mediterranean sautéed vegetables with garlic, wine, thyme, and sweet red onion. Serve over a bed of creamy fontina cheese polenta and a vibrant fresh herb and feta relish on top. This is the perfect dinner for celebrating summer's bounty with family and friends!
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Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup polenta or coarse cornmeal
- 6 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red onion chopped
- 10 ounces baby potatoes halved or quartered if larger than a ping pong ball
- 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 large bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 medium zucchini large dice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
Fresh Herb and Feta Relish
- 1/4 cup minced Italian parsley
- 1/3 cup minced fresh basil, plus extra basil leaves for garnish
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese
Instructions
- First, make the herb-feta relish: Mix the 1/4 cup minced parsley, the 1/3 cup minced basil, the 1 clove minced garlic, the 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, the 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and the 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes in a small bowl. Stir in the olive oil then gently stir in the feta trying not to break it up too much. You can make this up to 3 days in advance and keep covered in the refrigerator or let it sit out while you prepare the polenta and veggies.
- For the polenta: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan with a lid over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, then slowly whisk in the 1 cup of polenta. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until polenta is creamy, thick, and tender, about 20 minutes. Add the 6 ounces shredded fontina cheese and stir until melted and combined. Cover and remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add onion and potatoes and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until starting to brown.
- Add the 3 cloves sliced garlic, the sliced bell pepper, and chopped zucchini and season again with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Once garlic starts to brown add 1/2 cup wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the 3 thyme sprigs and 1/2 cup broth and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes. Taste and season again if necessary.
- Check to see if polenta is still warm. If not, add 1/4 or so more water and return to medium-low heat. Stir until polenta is smooth and warmed through.
- Spoon polenta into shallow bowls, top with veggies, drizzle with herb relish and sprinkle with a few more basil leaves if you'd like.
Notes
- Polenta: Don't use fine or medium-ground cornmeal to make the polenta. It will clump up immediately when added to the water and make a lumpy mess.
- Make-ahead: Make the herb-feta relish up to 3 days in advance. Let sit at room temperature while you make the polenta and veggies. If the oil is still too solid when you'd like to serve, warm in the microwave for 5-10 seconds or until liquid.
- Leftovers: Keep leftover polenta, veggies, and relish separate. To warm the polenta, place in a saucepan or skillet, add 1/4 cup or so water and warm, stirring constantly over medium-low heat until smooth and warmed through.
- Veggies: Substitute your favorite veggies for the ones listed. Eggplant, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, yellow squash, would all be great.