Spring Polenta
Spring Polenta
Yield: 6
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 Min
It's spring and the mint is bursting out my garden! Add asparagus and peas for a wonderful combo in this Ayurvedic adaptation of one of my favorite New York Times Cooking recipes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups coarse grind corn (polenta or grits)
- 1 t salt
- 8 T ghee, divided by tablespoon
- 1/2-3/4 c nutritional yeast
- 2 T chives, chopped
- 2 large shallots, halved and sliced thinly
- 2 T white wine
- 1/2 c veggie stock
- 1 bunch asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces, woody stems discarded
- 1-1/2 c frozen or fresh peas
- 1/4 c mint, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Polenta: In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, combine 7 cups water with the polenta and 1 t salt with a whisk. Bring to a simmer and stir frequently as it cooks to avoid clumping. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring and adding a little water at a time if it looks too dry before it cooks through. The goal is for it to be creamy.
- Vegetables: As the polenta cooks, warm 1 T of ghee to a saucepan on medium heat. Add shallots and saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Then add the wine and simmer until the alcohol evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add the asparagus and peas; saute another 3 minutes or so. Add the stock, 2 T of the ghee and salt and pepper to taste; simmer until the veggies are tender about 5 minutes. Stir in the mint.
- When the polenta thickens add the nutritional yeast and then the ghee tablespoon by tablespoon until your desired consistency is reached.
- Serve a generous scoop of the polenta in a bowl, topped with the vegetable mix and sprinkled with chives.
Notes
In Ayurveda, we generally do not freeze food because it affects the energy/prana of the item. However, peas are the one vegetable that retains its nutritional signature, even when frozen.
