Recipe of the Month

Fried polenta with blue cheese and broccoli

Polenta from 'Savouring Italy'
by Robert Freson (Pavillion)

Some chefs weave their magic by taking simple things, and then making all sorts of marvellous associations and pairings with them, improvisations that startle and surprise and delight you. Here is one of those startling, surprising delights, courtesy of Mercy Fenton, chef at Cork's sublime Jacob's on the Mall restaurant.

The first time we ever ate Ms Fenton's polenta, we just couldn't figure out how she managed to make it so light, so moist and yet so flavourful. The answers are explained below. The polenta, for a start, is cooked with seasoned milk, then flavoured with shallots, garlic and Parmesan. It is allowed to cool, then deep fried. The result is wowee! especially with the steamed broccoli and the contrast of a blue cheese sauce and a good drizzle of pesto, truly magnificent vegetarian cookery.

The type of polenta you use will have a bearing on how much liquid you need. I found that I needed a further 200 mls of water to get the polenta just the way I wanted it before I spread it out onto the tray ­ I was using bramata label polenta from Crescenzi's of South Frederick Street in Dublin 2, which is quite coarse.

Jacob's on the Mall,
30A South Mall,
Cork,
Email: kingsley@eircom.net
Tel: (021) 4251 531

Fried polenta with Blue Cheese and Broccoli

500ml Milk
quarter onion
1 clove
1 bay leaf
1 bunch of thyme
125g Polenta grits
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2oz grated parmesan

Bring the milk, studded onion and bay leaf to the boil, add the bunch of thyme and allow to infuse. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and sweat off the shallots and garlic.

Strain the milk into this mixture. Return to the boil and, whisking gently, rain in the polenta from a height. Keep whisking until it comes to the boil (be careful to cover your hands, as the polenta spits). Cook for at least 10 minutes (I found, during this initial cooking, I had to add a further 200mls water to my, quite coarse, polenta). Season well with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg. Add the Parmesan, stir well and spread onto a tray (approximately A4 in size) to cool for 4-5 hours.

When cool, cut into your desired shape, flour and deep fry. Serve with steamed broccoli and blue cheese dressing, plus a dollop of pesto.