Polenta cakes recipe

Lesley Waters
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Italy is the land of great food, art and of course the Madonna. From religious iconography through to the family home, the role of the ‘mama’ is revered in Italian culture. So why not look to the Tuscan hills this Spring and ditch the traditional Mother’s day treat of Simnel cake in favour of some savoury Polenta ones, perfect wrapped up in a basket delivered straight to her door or served up as part of a home cooked light lunch.

Taking inspiration from the picturesque northern town of Parma, Lesley Waters has created her Polenta recipe using two key local ingredients: Parma ham and Parmigiano- Reggiano Cheese.

Delicious served as a light lunch or supper dish or try them on their own drizzled with olive oil or as a tasty accompaniment to roast chicken in place of the traditional stuffing.

Ingredients

175 g Self-raising flour
1 tsp Baking powder
115 g Instant polenta
75 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
200 ml Milk
4 tbsp Olive oil + extra for greasing
2 Medium eggs
90 g Parma ham, finely chopped
85 g Sunblush tomatoes, drained, finely chopped
300 ml Crème fraiche
250 Baby plum tomatoes, halved - For the basil sauce
1 Small red onion, finely chopped - For the basil sauce
1 Large bunch basil, torn - For the basil sauce
2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil - For the basil sauce
0 Freshly ground black pepper - For the basil sauce

Details

Cuisine: Italian
Recipe Type: Starter
Difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 9

Step-by-step

Preheat the oven to 190°C, Gas 5. Lightly grease 9 deep muffin wells
Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the polenta and 55g of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Season well with freshly ground black pepper.
In a measuring jug mix together the milk, eggs, Parma ham and sunblush tomatoes.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dried taking care not to over mix.
Spoon the mixture evenly between the prepared muffin wells. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until golden. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano with the crème fraiche and set to one side. Toss all the basil salsa ingredients together and season with black pepper.
Allow the Parma ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese polenta cakes to cool in the tin for 2 minutes
Carefully, with a flat bladed knife remove from muffin wells
Cut each cake whilst still warm in half on the diagonal. Fill each with a little of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cream
Serve rustic style on a wooden board with the basil salsa. If desired, serve with extra Parma ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings.