My Italian heritage is on full show with this dish.
Polenta is the meal that brings me flashbacks of family summers in northern Italy and it’s humble beginnings reflect a noted change in food and culture. Originally considered ‘peasant’ food, polenta, made from corn, was viewed as ‘leftovers’ from feed for the animals. Now visiting Italy, you can certainly tell that times have changed as polenta can be found everywhere in the north and refugee huts dotting the Dolomites.
I made this polenta vegan by using cashew milk (I use Plenish Drinks cashew milk because I find it the creamiest of nut milk, but you could use oat/almond milk) and nutritional yeast to add that cheesy flavour 👌🏻 The key to polenta is slowly adding it into the boiling water while consistently whisking. Perfect!!
Rainbow Chard & Herby Vegan Polenta
Ingredients
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1 red onion, diced
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-2 red chillies, diced
-a few sprigs of thyme
-1 bunch rainbow chard, stems removed from leaves, and diced
-1 cup polenta
-2 cups water
-pinch salt
-2-3 tbsp cashew milk
-1 tbsp nutritional yeast
-a handful of chopped herbs (I use parsley)
Method
1. Heat the oil in a skillet, and add the chili, onion and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the rainbow chard stems.
2. Meanwhile boil the 2 cups water and a pinch of salt. Slowly add the polenta in while whisking continuously to reduce clumps. Add 2 tbsp of the cashew milk and 1 tbsp nutritional yeast. Whisk in the herbs and add another tbsp cashew milk if needed to ‘loosen’ the polenta.
3. Add the leaves of the chard to the sauté. Allow them to wilt.
Serve hot.