Polenta and Vegetable Terrine

I saw a pretty and summery meal involving a polenta terrine in the August/September issue of Donna Hay magazine and got inspired to make something similar. The terrine in the magazine was made with chorizo and spinach and was served with fresh mozzarella and cherry tomatoes, but my goal was to use some eggplant, summer squash, bell peppers, and greens from my CSA and make it a little more autumnal with a cooked tomato sauce. Polenta is great for a terrine because it sets up solidly and holds its shape very well. This couldn’t have been simpler to prepare, and once it has chilled for a few hours or overnight, it’s sliced and quickly warmed in the oven. I served the warmed slices with a spicy tomato sauce sprinkled with some chopped parsley.

A basic polenta was made with broth, and when thick, grated parmesan and butter were added. I chopped eggplant, summer squash, and bell peppers and sauteed them until tender and added some baby mustard greens. Next time, I’ll chop the vegetables into a little smaller dice so they squish into the terrine more snuggly. But, moving right along, a parchment-lined loaf pan was layered with polenta, then some shredded mozzarella, the sauteed vegetables, and more mozzarella, and then it was topped with the remaining polenta. The pan was covered and refrigerated overnight. The next day, the polenta came out of the pan easily and was cut into thick slices. The slices were placed on a baking sheet and drizzled with olive oil. They went into the oven for a few minutes to warm through. In hindsight, I should have pulled them from the oven a little sooner than I did because the mozzarella melted a bit too much and ran out from the sides of the cut pieces. The slices were prettier when the cheese is in place.

Even though I would change a couple of details next time around, I was still very happy with this dish. The parmesan-flavored polenta sandwiching the vegetables and mozzarella was everything simple comfort food should be, even though it was smartly dressed in layers of a terrine. I had never before thought of using polenta in a terrine, but it works so well and the possibilities of what to layer with it are endless.


Polenta and Vegetable Terrine
adapted from Aug/Sept issue Donna Hay Magazine
3 T extra virgin olive oil + extra for drizzling
1 eggplant, diced
1 summer squash, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 c baby greens for braising such as mustard greens
6 c vegetable broth
2 c polenta
2 T butter
1/2 c grated parmesan
2 c shredded mozzarella
salt and pepper to taste
Tomato sauce or fresh tomatoes for serving

-Heat 3 T oil in a large saute pan. Add diced vegetables and garlic slices and cook until tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When vegetables are tender and cooked through, add greens and stir to wilt. Remove from heat and set aside.
-Place vegetable broth in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil. Slowly add polenta while whisking. Switch to a wooden spoon, turn heat down to medium, and stir until polenta is thick. This will be a few minutes for instant polenta. Add butter, parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to incorporate.
-Line a loaf pan with parchment paper allowing paper to overhang long sides. Place half the polenta in bottom of loaf pan. Top polenta with half the mozzarella. Top mozzarella with the vegetables, and then add the remaining mozzarella and polenta. Smooth the top, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least two hours.
-Once chilled and set, remove polenta from loaf pan and cut into thick slices while oven pre-heats to 400 degrees F. Place slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake just to warm through, about five minutes. Serve with a warm tomato sauce or fresh cherry tomatoes.
-You can get as creative as you like with the layers, but I kept my simple with just one layer of vegetables.

Zucchini and Summer Squash Spaghetti

The concept of cutting zucchini into pasta-like ribbons and saucing them like spaghetti is popping up all over the place. On Iron Chef America Battle Zucchini, Bobby Flay made a fantastic looking version. There was also a raw food recipe in Food and Wine in June, and I’ve had such a dish a few times at the raw bar at Whole Foods. I felt the need to create my own version, and this is a perfect time of year for it.

At the farmers’ market on Saturday, we found lovely zucchini, yellow summer squashes, sweet pepperoncini and cherry peppers, and lots of other things too. As I gathered the fresh peppers at the market, I began imagining how to incorporate them into this dish. I was mostly inspired by the raw preparations I’ve read about or eaten, but I veered a little off the raw path in the end. My take on the dish was:

2 medium summer squashes
1 small zucchini
note: the size varies quite a lot, but for the amount of sauce here, a total of five cups or so of squash pasta works well

2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/3 c sun-dried tomatoes from jar packed with olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 c fresh basil leaves
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t Aleppo pepper

juice of half of a lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 T kalamata olives, pitted and halved
3 fresh cherry peppers, thinly sliced
2 fresh pepperoncini, thinly sliced
Grated parmigiana reggiano to taste

Slice squashes and zucchini into thin strips lengthwise, and then cut each strip into strands. I used a grater to slice the strips and then hand cut the strands. It takes a little time and patience. Place cut strands in a medium bowl and set aside.

(A spiral slicer would make the task much easier, and the ribbons would be perfectly consistent. I’m now coveting one and am trying to come up with ways to justify a purchase. I would make this every day if I had a handy tool to cut the ribbons.)

In a blender pitcher, place fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, Aleppo pepper, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Puree until smooth. Pour over squash strands and toss to combine. Serve garnished with olives, cherry peppers, pepperoncinis and parmigiana as four small first course servings or two large main course plates.

This summery dish, requiring no stove use at all, packs a burst of flavors. The fresh and sun-dried tomatoes combine to form a bright tasting sauce, the olives add depth of flavor, and the peppers bring a fresh, crunchy contrast. You won’t miss the semolina pasta for a minute.