Soft, crispy or fried – however you like your polenta, we’ve got a recipe that’ll have you hooked!  

Polenta chips with prosciutto, Peppadew and Parmesan 

Serves 4-6

Ingredients 

2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups full-cream milk
1½ cups instant polenta
1 Tbsp lemon juice
½ cup Parmesan, shredded
1 Tbsp thyme, chopped
Salt, to taste
½ cup olive oil
Rocket leaves, to serve
70g prosciutto, to serve
½ cup Peppadew chutney, to serve
Parmesan shavings, to serve 

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC.
2. Line one baking tray with baking paper, and grease another.
3. In a pot over medium heat, bring stock and milk to a boil.
4. Whisk in polenta until smooth. Cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, Parmesan, thyme and salt.
6. Immediately transfer to the lined baking tray and smooth the surface.
7. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up.
8. Slice polenta into chunky rectangles and place on a greased baking sheet.
9. Coat the chips with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes. Flip over and continue baking for another 20 minutes.
10. To serve, place the polenta chips on a platter. Top each chip with rocket, prosciutto, Peppadew chutney and Parmesan shavings.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za 

Polenta toast with tahini yoghurt, chilli oil and a poached egg 

Serves 4

Ingredients 

For the polenta toast 

7 cups water
½ tsp salt
2 cups polenta
5 tsp olive oil  

For the tahini yoghurt 

½ cup low-fat plain yoghurt
3 tsp tahini paste
¼ lemon, juiced  

For the chilli oil 

4 tsp olive oil
1 tsp chilli flakes 

To serve
8 eggs, poached
Handful micro herbs 

Method 

1. For the polenta toast, bring the water and the salt to a simmer.
2. While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually sprinkle the polenta into the water.
3. Cook for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally to ensure the polenta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
4. Grease two 20cm square tins with olive oil and line it with cling wrap. Pour the creamy polenta into the tins. Even the tops out so the polenta will set nice and flat. Allow to cool in the fridge for 1-2 hours until set.
5. Cut each of the set polenta portions into four squares, yielding eight squares in total.
6. In a pan, heat the olive oil to a high heat. Fry the polenta squares for 5 minutes on each side until crisp and golden on the edges and deep golden brown in colour.
7. For the tahini yoghurt, mix all the ingredients until smooth and set aside.
8. For the chilli oil, add the oil, chilli flakes and salt to a cold pan.
9. 9. Turn the heat to a low temperature and allow to infuse for 5 minutes. Turn off and allow to cool in the pan.
10. To serve, place two pieces of toast on a plate, cover with tahini yoghurt, followed by two eggs, chilli oil and micro herbs.

Cook’s note Freeze the cooked, cut polenta squares to keep polenta ‘toast’ at hand for when you feel like serving some. 

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Samantha Pinto//HMimages.co.za 

Bolognese meatballs with creamy polenta 

Serves 4-6

Ingredients 

For the sauce 

3 Tbsp olive oil
½ onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tsp dried origanum
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1½ cups beef stock  

For the bolognese meatballs 

500g beef mince
1 Tbsp breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, grated
½ Tbsp dried mixed herbs 

For the creamy polenta 

1 tsp salt
1 cup polenta
¼ cup butter
½ cup grated Parmesan 

Method 

1. For the sauce, heat the oil in a pan over medium. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, origanum, sugar and tomato paste. Fry for 2 minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until reduced.
3. For the bolognese meatballs, add the ingredients to a bowl and mix until fully combined.
4. Use your hands to shape the mince mixture into meatballs.
5. Heat a pan over medium and dry-fry the meatballs until browned.
6. Transfer meatballs into the pan with the sauce and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, until cooked through. Season.
7. For the creamy polenta, bring 4 cups water and the salt to a boil in a large pot.
8. Gently sprinkle the polenta in, whisking continuously. Cook, while still whisking, until thickened and smooth.
9. Reduce the heat to low and mix in the butter and Parmesan. Allow to cook for 30 minutes, until done.
10. Serve immediately with bolognese

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za 

Polenta-crumbed pork chops with roast broccoli and tomato sauce

Serves 4  

Ingredients 

For the tomato sauce and broccoli 

¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
410g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried origanum
Salt and milled pepper
½ broccoli, cut into florets 

For the pork chops 

4 pork chops
150g polenta
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
40g butter
¼ cup breadcrumbs 

Method 

1. For the tomato sauce and broccoli, preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pot over medium heat and fry the onion for 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes and the dried origanum and cook for 15 minutes, uncovered, until thickened. Season, then set aside.
4. Toss the broccoli in the remaining oil and season. Place on a baking tray and roast for 10-15 minutes, until slightly charred. Remove from the oven and set aside.
5. For the pork chops, season the chops and coat in polenta.
6. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and fry the chops for 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
7. Remove from the pan and place on a baking tray. Top with butter and breadcrumbs and Bake for 5-8 minutes, until cooked through.
8. Serve with the tomato sauce and roast broccoli.

Also read: 4 Hearty one-pan dishes perfect for weeknight dinners 

The post 4 Seriously tasty takes on polenta  appeared first on MyKitchen.

These polenta chips with prosciutto, Peppadew, Parmesan and rocket are making us reminisce summer and all those wonderful social memories!

SERVES 4–6 // COOKING TIME 1 hour

INGREDIENTS
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups full-cream milk
1½ cups instant polenta
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup Parmesan, shredded
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
Salt, to taste
½ cup olive oil
Rocket leaves, to serve
70 g prosciutto, to serve
½ cup Peppadew chutney, to serve
Parmesan shavings, to serve

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200ºC.
2. Line one baking tray with baking paper, and grease another.
3. In a pot over medium heat, bring stock and milk to a boil.
4. Whisk in polenta until smooth. Cook for another 8–10 minutes, and stir frequently.
5. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, Parmesan, thyme and salt.
6. Immediately transfer to the lined baking tray and smooth the surface.
7. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up.
8. Slice polenta into chunky rectangles and place on a greased baking sheet.
9. Coat the chips with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes. Flip over and continue baking for another 20 minutes.
10. To serve, place the polenta chips on a platter. Top each chip with rocket, prosciutto, Peppadew chutney and Parmesan shavings.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

Make this key ingredient the theme for night and serve our lamb shank on soft polenta as your main.

The post Polenta chips with prosciutto, Peppadew and Parmesan appeared first on MyKitchen.

If you’re expecting guests and want to serve up something that looks amazing, look no further than our spaghetti carbonara. Simply use a few store-bought ingredients to plate up a delicious meal that looks like you’ve been in the kitchen for hours.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 40 min

INGREDIENTS
300 g ready-made spaghetti carbonara
70 g prosciutto
100 g ready-made guacamole
4 egg yolks
85 g pomegranate rubies
Handful rocket leaves

METHOD
1. Place the spaghetti carbonara in a pan over medium heat to warm. Add a little milk to loosen.
2. Once heated through, divide the spaghetti between four plates. Use a fork to twirl the pasta into small heaps so that the yolks can be placed on top.
3. Tear the prosciutto into smaller pieces and arrange around the pasta.
4. Put the guacamole in a piping bag and pipe it in small dollops around the prosciutto.
5. Carefully place the yolks on the hot pasta.
6. Scatter the pomegranate rubies over the dish and garnish with rocket.

Recipe & Styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Gareth van Nelson

The post Spaghetti carbonara with prosciutto, avocado and rocket appeared first on MyKitchen.

When the weather is hot and you’re having guests over, the last thing you need is to spend hours in the kitchen. Our advice? Quick-to-prep shared plates of food and our gorgeous prosciutto crostini tick all the boxes!

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 15 min

INGREDIENTS
1 baguette, thinly sliced
100 ml olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
300g ricotta, crumbled
200g prosciutto
8 ripe figs, quartered
Sea salt flakes

METHOD
1. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil and lightly toast in a toaster.
2. Top with ricotta, a slice of prosciutto and figs. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.

The post Ricotta, fig and prosciutto crostini appeared first on MyKitchen.