Tuesday, November 24, 2009

POLENTA STUFFED PEPPERS

Counting down to two more days until Thanksgiving.  Today I am making my fresh cranberry sauce.  It is best made a day or two ahead.  Picking up the Turkey and Turkey breast.  Getting the wine and other drinks.  Shopping done.  Then 3 days of eating.  Here is a recipe you could make a day or so after Thanksgiving when everyone is just plain old tired of Turkey.  We always had a lot of Polenta.  It is an Italian staple.  Especially in Northern Italy.  I told you about our garden of plenty in some of my first posts. One of the things that we had that were abundant were peppers.  All kinds of peppers.  My grandmother used to get the big green ones and stuff them with Polenta.  She picked them when they were green, green with red and red.  She cut them in half, stuffed them with Polenta, covered them with tomatoes and cheese and baked them.  They were wonderful.  This is how I make them today.  I don't cut them in half, I like to leave them whole.

POLENTA STUFFED PEPPERS

1 cup polenta, (get the instant kind it is easier)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan
3 tablespoons of butter
salt and pepper
4 red or yellow peppers (they are sweeter than the green) or 2 of each for color
5 pr 6 Roma Tomatoes cut into quarters
3 cloves of garlic
Fresh Basil
olive oil

Cook the Polenta according to directions, when the Polenta thickens, add the butter and Romano cheese.  Slowly add the cream.  You want the Polenta thick but so you can still pour it.  Cut the tops off of the Peppers and remove the seeds, fill them with the Polenta.  Put them in a casserole dish.  Cut the tomatoes into 1/4 's and put into a bowl.  Finely chop the garlic and chiffonade the Basil.  Mix the tomatoes with the garlic, basil, salt and pepper and 1/4 cup of olive oil.  Pour around the sides of the peppers.
Bake for 25 minutes  (or until the peppers are tender) in a 375 degree oven.
Serve hot .  You can cut the peppers in half and spoon the tomato mixture over them.  Or leave them whole and spoon over the top.  Delicious.

Tomorrow will be the last post until Monday after the Holiday.

Thanks for stopping in
Ciao
Grayce

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