HILDE'S LIV I SPANIA: GRILLED POLENTA CAKES

Tuesday 21 January 2014

GRILLED POLENTA CAKES

Hello to all of you, I have been quite buisy this week, because I'm participating in a cooking contest, of the comunity of Cocineros del Mundo, more than 12000 members, and all members are very creative, you can find such a lot of recipes about any foodies.
Do yoy want to wote for my dish, here s the link, just +1 in google +
http://recetasdehilde.blogspot.com/2014/01/bacalao-a-lo-pobre.html
Thank's so very much.

Well, half of this is not a Spanish recipe, today we go to the north of Italy where the polenta is very much used, as I mentioned before, I don't eat much meat and must look for alternatives apart from the veggies. The polenta used today is made from corn, and rich in B vitamins, potassium, iron, phosphorus and magnesium.. The magnesium is very important for the growing of bones and muscles, thats why porridge for the babies and toddlers are made all over the world from polenta. It's also good , even if it has calories about 85 per 100 grams, for dieting because it sates a lot.
I even went away from my daily thinking of using " short travelled food", and bought green aspargus from Peru ( that is quite a long travel), but it's so long time until our aspargues is grown, here in Granada we have the village Huetor Tajar wich is almost entirely dedicated to growing green aspargues. In the springtime we make a dish of aspargues not quite every day, but mmmmmmmmmmm, very often.

The shopping list;
For the polenta
2 cups of whole milk
2 cups of water
1 cup polenta
1 teaspon pink Himalaya salt
2 tablespoons of extra Virgen olive oil
A pinch of smoked paprika
A pinch of white pepper

3 bunches of green aspargus
Some Extra Virgen olive oil
Maldon salt
Tomate frito ( see basics or macarones con chorizo, on the list in my blog)
Some dried chile ( optional)

Start mixing the water, the milk and the salt in a skillet, and heat until boiling, then put the temperature down to medium, and while you whisk add the polente slowly, whisking all the time. now it must cook while you continue whisking, for 5 min. Transfer to a tray the and make a layer of 1 and 1/2 cm. let cool for an hour .

Stick out the cakes with a cookie sticker, use any shape, sprinkle with a little white pepper and smoked paprika, have some drops of olive oil in a frying pan, and fry until golde. Be careful when you turn, so they not fall apart. If you dont use all, stick them out and save in an airthight box, in the fridge for 3-4 days.

In anoher fryingpan, just cover the bottom with the extra virgen olive oil, on medium heat put the asparagus in,after braking away the bottom with your hands, it`s much easier than with a knife, and you can "feel" where the edible part starts. In Spanish all you cook only with a film of oil is "a la plancha", and this is the way we do the asparagus today, depending on the caliber, but in 8 -10 min. they are done.

Arrange the Polenta cakes and the asparagus as shown on the photo, and the Tomata Frito over the asparagus, toss a little Extra Virgen olive oil and some Maldon Salt on top, and serve hot,hot,hot.

And have a look at my blog in Spanisah www.recetasdehilde.blogspot.com

We have great news from Sierra Nevaa, lots of powder snow, 1,2 m., see for yourself, here are the photos;