Turkey
Bolognese Polenta Nests Recipe
This
delicious appetizer combines two of my favorite foods, polenta and bolognese
meat sauce, uniting them into one incredibly tasty bite!
Ingredients
:
3-1/2
cups chicken stock, divided
1
cup yellow cornmeal
3/4
cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1/2
cup heavy whipping cream
1/4
teaspoon salt
1/4
teaspoon pepper
1
tablespoon olive oil
1
cup chopped onion
3
garlic cloves, minced
1/2
pound ground turkey
1/3
cup tomato paste
1-1/2
teaspoons Italian seasoning
How
To Make Turkey Bolognese Polenta Nest :
Preheat
oven to 350°. Coat 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. Set aside.
In
a large heavy saucepan, bring 3 cups chicken stock to a boil. Reduce heat to a
gentle boil; slowly whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon until
polenta is thickened and pulls away cleanly from sides of pan, 15-20 minutes
(mixture will be very thick). Stir in 1/2 cup cheese, cream, salt and pepper.
Spoon 2 tablespoons polenta mixture into each mini muffin cup. As polenta
cools, press an indentation in center of each with the end of the wooden spoon
handle to create a nest shape. Set aside. Wipe out pan.
In
same saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute until
translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add turkey; saute
until no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste, Italian seasoning and remaining
chicken stock. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Fill
each polenta indention with about 2 teaspoons turkey mixture. Sprinkle with
remaining cheese; bake until edges are golden, 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven;
cool at least 10 minutes before removing from muffin cups. May be refrigerated
or frozen for later use.
Test
Kitchen tips :
If
your polenta doesn't hold its shape in the muffin tins, add a little more
cooking time to set up.
This
also makes a great main dish. Just spoon warm polenta onto serving plates and
top with the bolognese sauce.