soft polenta with grilled vegetables
i love simple summer dinners. it is the best part of the summer - fire up the grill and throw some vegetables on and voila you have dinner.
i also love adding a simple grain or pasta to the dish to make it feel complete. i often serve some grilled vegetables with a spaghettini tossed with lemon juice and herbs but polenta my favorite.
these grilled vegetables are flavored by a few simple ingredients - grill seasoning, lemon juice and olive oil. i also grill some lemon wedges to squeeze over the top of the dish. if you have never grilled a lemon - do so right now. the juices develop & the smoky flavor from the grill is amazing. the polenta is soft & creamy and flavored with garlic and shallots. i add a bit of cream and butter to the end to give it an extra bit of creaminess.
soft polenta with grilled vegetablesgrilled vegetables2 bell peppers - sliced into four parts
1 bunch asparagus - ends trimmed and peeled if large
1 bunch broccolini - ends trimmed
3 - 4 tomatoes - cut into quarters
handful sugar snap peas - ends snapped off
2 - 3 lemons - one for marinade and the other(s) quartered
olive oil
salt & pepper
grill seasoning - I use one meant for beef
combine about a 1/3 cup olive oil, 3 - 4 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon grill seasoning, and salt & pepper in a bowl with a whisk. set aside.
put your vegetables & lemons into a large bowl or large ziploc bag. pour in marinade and let sit for 20 -30 minutes.
heat grill to medium high. i use a vegetable grill tray for the smaller vegetables.
grilling times for vegetables:bell peppers - 10 minutes per side
asparagus - 6 to 8 minutes
broccolini - 6 to 8 minutes
tomatoes - 10 minutes
sugar snap peas - 3 to 5 minutes
lemons - 10 minutes
after grilling - chop the vegetables into bite size pieces. the lemons will be used to squeeze over the dish.
soft polenta3 cups vegetable broth
3/4 corn meal
1/4 c shallots minced
4 - 6 cloves garlic
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tbs cream
2 tbs butter
heat vegetable broth in pot.
in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan, saute the shallot and garlic in olive oil.
add broth to shallot and garlic. return to boil. gradually stir in corn meal and cook over medium heat until thickened (5-8 minutes). take off heat and stir in 2 tbs cream and 2 tbs butter.
assemblyshredded parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil
add soft polenta to the bottom of a shallow bowl. add a mixture of the grilled vegetables over the polenta. squeeze the grilled lemon juice over the top & drizzle a bit of really good extra virgin olive oil over the dish. sprinkle with some parmesan cheese. enjoy!
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the vegetables are bursting with big flavors from the spices and herbs.
the variety of vegetables also keeps the dish lively. just when you
thought you tasted every thing, another vegetable will surprise you.
the gravy is as hearty as any meat based gravy i ever had. all in all
is the perfect vegetarian hearty meal - it is soul food. 
