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Indulge your sweet tooth with lemon polenta cake

Polenta is made from dried corn and is a common staple in Northern Italy where it is served as an alternative to rice or potatoes. Used in cakes, it creates a wonderful dense texture and is perfect for people on a wheat-free diet. This makes quite a large cake which keeps beautifully for several days. I like to serve it warm with ice-cream as a dessert. Time to prepare: 20 minutes Cooking time: 70 minutes Serves: 12 Ingredients <div class="article-body"> <ul> <li>450g butter, softened</li> <li>450g sugar</li> <li>6 large eggs</li> <li>Zest and juice of 3 lemons</li> <li>Zest and juice of 1 orange</li> <li>2 teaspoons vanilla extract</li> <li>450g ground almonds</li> <li>300g instant yellow polenta</li> <li>2 teaspoons baking powder</li> <li>Icing sugar, to serve</li> <li>Mascarpone, to serve</li> </ul> Directions <ol> <li>Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease a 26cm non-stick springform tin.  </li> <li>Using electric beaters, beat the butter, sugar and zests of lemon and orange together until thick and pale. With the motor running, add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition.  </li> <li>Fold in the lemon juice, orange juice, vanilla extract, ground almonds, polenta and baking powder. Mix thoroughly so all the ingredients are combined.  </li> <li>Pour the batter into the prepared tin, tapping gently to make sure there are no air bubbles.  </li> <li>Bake for 40 minutes, then reduce the heat to 150°C and bake for a further 20–30 minutes. If necessary, cover the cake with foil if it is beginning to brown too quickly. </li> <li>Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the tin. When cold, remove from the tin.</li> <li>To serve, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with a dollop of mascarpone mixed with some lemon zest or lemon gelato.</li> </ol> Tips To make baby polenta cakes, halve the recipe and bake in lined muffin cups for 25 minutes, then 15 minutes at the reduced temperature. Recipe and image from Bake Your Cake & Eat it Too (New Holland Publishers), RRP $29.99, <a rel="noopener" href="http://www.newhollandpublishers.com/" target="_blank">newhollandpublishers.com</a>. </div> <div class="social-media-column"> <div class="addthis_sharing_toolbox" data-url="https://www.wyza.com.au/recipes/lemon-polenta-cake.aspx" data-title="Lemon Polenta Cake | WYZA" data-description="A common staple in Northern Italy, using polenta in cakes creates a wonderful dense texture and is perfect for people on a wheat-free diet - wyza.com.au"> <div id="atstbx3" class="at-share-tbx-element addthis-smartlayers addthis-animated at4-show" aria-labelledby="at-0d0bd90e-658a-43d4-80a6-1fd1f5aaa696"> Written by Wyza. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/recipes/lemon-polenta-cake.aspx">Wyza.com.au</a>. </div> </div> </div>

Food & Wine

Cheesy polenta with meatballs

The creamy and cheesy polenta is the star of this dish so roll up your sleves and dig in! <h3 class="tint">Ingredients</h3> <ul> <li>2 tablespoons olive oil</li> <li>600ml tomato pasta sauce (bought is fine)</li> <li>½ teaspoon chilli flakes</li> <li>1 tablespoon oregano leaves</li> <li>2 fresh bay leaves </li> <li>Freshly grated parmesan, to serve</li> </ul> Meatballs <ul> <li>1 small onion, chopped</li> <li>2 garlic cloves</li> <li>4 slices pancetta</li> <li>Handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves</li> <li>6 sage leaves</li> <li>3 slices white bread, crusts removed</li> <li>300g minced pork</li> <li>300g minced lean beef</li> <li>2 eggs</li> </ul> Polenta 500ml (2 cups) chicken stock 500ml (2 cups) full-cream milk 300g instant polenta 100g fontina cheese, rind removed, cut into small cubes (see tip) 1 rosemary sprig, leaves picked <h3 class="tint">Directions</h3> 1. Start with the meatballs. Put the onion, garlic, pancetta, parsley, sage and bread in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the pork and beef mince and eggs, and keep pulsing until well combined. Season well with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and finish mixing by hand. Using wet hands, form the mixture into walnut-sized balls, setting them aside on a plate as you go. 2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Carefully add the meatballs and cook until they start to brown on all sides. Add the tomato sauce, chilli flakes, oregano and bay leaves and simmer for 30–40 minutes until the meatballs are cooked and the sauce is reduced and thick. 3. To make the polenta (this will take 10–15 minutes, so try and time it to be ready at the same time as the meatballs), place the stock, milk and 500ml (2 cups) water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Gradually add the polenta and use a whisk to stir it through until well incorporated. Reduce the heat to low and stir continuously for 3–4 minutes until the polenta is thick and creamy in texture. Add the cheese and rosemary and stir until the cheese is melted through. 4. To serve, pour the polenta onto a large serving platter and make a shallow well in the middle. Spoon the meatballs and sauce over the top and sprinkle with some freshly grated parmesan. Serve immediately. <h3 class="tint">Tips</h3> Fontina is a mild washed-rind cheese from the Valle d’Aosta in the north of Italy and is one of the best melting cheeses I know. Raclette is a good substitute, or any other washed rind with the rind removed. This is an edited extract from <a rel="noopener" href="http://t.dgm-au.com/c/185116/69171/1880?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fmilk-made-nick-haddow%2Fprod9781743791356.html" target="_blank">Milk. Made.</a> by Nick Haddow published by Hardie Grant Books RRP $55 and is available in stores nationally. Image © Alan Benson.

Food & Wine

Meat Free Week Recipe: Braised mushrooms by Rowie Dillon

Serves: 4 Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 15 minutes These gorgeous braised mushrooms are especially delicious when served with creamy polenta. They’re an all year round winner! Ingredients: <ul> <li>3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil</li> <li>680g mixed wild mushrooms or shittake, trimmed</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">½ tbsp marsala (optional)</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">125 ml water </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Sea salt</li> </ul> Method: In a large braise pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add ⅓ of the mushrooms, pressing down firmly to sear them. Add marsala if desired. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the next tablespoon of oil and mushrooms and then repeat again. Return all the mushrooms to the pan, add the water, reduce heat, over and simmer until tender. Season with salt and serve with creamy polenta. This recipe was supplied by Rowie Dillon for Meat Free Week 2019. The campaign runs from 23-29 September in support of Bowel Cancer Australia. See <a href="https://www.meatfreeweek.org/">meatfreeweek.org</a> to sign up.

Food & Wine

Peach & orange blossom polenta upside-down cake

Polenta gives this wonderful citrus-laden cake an interesting texture. Ingredients: <ul> <li>4 peaches, cut into thin wedges (use Golden Queens if you can)</li> <li>185g butter, softened</li> <li>150g (⅔ cup) golden caster sugar</li> <li>5 eggs</li> <li>Zest of 2 oranges</li> <li>¾ cup thick Greek-style yoghurt</li> <li>2 tablespoons orange blossom water</li> <li>100g almonds, ground (I do this in my coffee grinder, first chopping them roughly)</li> <li>130g fine polenta</li> <li>40g flour</li> <li>1½ teaspoons baking powder</li> <li>1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice</li> <li>2 tablespoons golden caster sugar</li> <li>Thick Greek-style yoghurt or creme fraiche to serve</li> </ul> Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a square or rectangle cake tin with baking paper (I used a tin that measures 21cm x 19cm, but slightly bigger is also fine). Arrange the peach slices on the bottom of the tin in three rows, pushing them snugly together. 2. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 3. Add the orange zest, yoghurt and 1 tablespoon of the orange blossom water and pulse to combine. Add the ground almonds, polenta, flour and baking powder and again pulse until just combined. 4. Pour the batter over the peach slices and bake for an hour or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. 5. While the cake is cooking, put the orange juice in a saucepan with the sugar, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about 12 minutes or until it begins to go syrupy, then stir in the remaining tablespoon of orange blossom water. 6. Once the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before removing from the tin and transferring to a plate. 7. Using a wooden skewer, make holes all over the cake then pour over the syrup and let it absorb into the cake. Serve with thick Greek-style yoghurt or creme fraiche. Written by Emma Boyd. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>. Image credit: Emma Boyd/Stuff.co.nz.

Food & Wine

Polenta chips

Polenta chips are all over the place these days; they are a pub food staple and rightly so. They are surprisingly straightforward to make and go down a treat with stew or a good steak, or on their own with a bit of sea salt and an over-generous dollop of aioli. Make them the day or the morning before you want to eat them, as the mixture will need at least an hour in the fridge to set. Serves: Four Ingredients: <ul> <li>1.4 litre good chicken or vegetable stock</li> <li>50g butter</li> <li>1 clove garlic, finely chopped</li> <li>Small handful rosemary leaves, roughly chopped</li> <li>500g instant polenta</li> <li>Sea salt and black pepper, to taste</li> <li>Light vegetable oil, for frying</li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li>In a large saucepan over a moderate heat, combine stock, butter, garlic and rosemary and let it come to a simmer.</li> <li>While stirring with a wooden spoon, pour polenta into stock in a thin steady stream until combined. Bring heat down to low, season well and cook for another two minutes, stirring, until you have a very thick mixture. Taste and season accordingly.</li> <li>Grease and line a shallow rectangular baking pan or ceramic dish with baking paper. Pour polenta mix into the lined dish in an even layer and smooth out. Ideally, you want it to be 2-3cm thick. Cover with more baking paper and refrigerate for at least two hours.</li> <li>When it's time to cook your chips, remove polenta from fridge and carefully turn slab out onto a chopping board. Cut into thick batons about 2-3cm wide and 6-7cm long. Don't worry too much about uniformity; rustic is good.</li> <li>Place a large frying pan going over a moderate heat with about two tablespoons of oil. Fry chips carefully and in batches until golden brown on all sides. If you want to deep-fry them, bring a saucepan of oil up to a high heat, and then dust the chips in a little extra polenta. Carefully drop them into the hot oil and fry until golden brown.</li> <li>Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle sea salt over top and serve while chips are still nice and hot.</li> </ol> Have you ever tried polenta chips? Written by Sam Mannering. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.n</a>z. Image credit: Sam Mannering / Stuff.co.nz.

Food & Wine

Lamb and eggplant pie with polenta crust

This deliciously comforting lamb and eggplant pie is surprisingly quick to prepare and will leave you comfortably full and warm – just what you need on an ice-cold evening! Serves: 4 Ingredients: <ul> <li>2 tablespoons olive oil</li> <li>400g lamb backstrap, cut into 3cm cubes</li> <li>1 large eggplant, cubed 3cm</li> <li>250ml (1 cup) chicken stock</li> <li>2 cloves garlic, finely chopped</li> <li>2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary</li> <li>400g can chopped tomatoes</li> <li>½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes</li> <li>½ cup pitted Sicilian or green olives</li> <li>600ml milk</li> <li>1 cup instant polenta</li> <li>20g butter</li> <li>½ cup finely grated parmesan</li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li>To make the filling, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.</li> <li>Season the lamb with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then fry for 3 minutes or until browned. Remove and transfer to a 1.5-litre pie dish.</li> <li>Add the remaining oil to the pan. Cook the eggplant for 1-2 minutes until lightly browned, then add the stock, garlic and rosemary.</li> <li>Cook for a further 3-5 minutes until the eggplant is almost tender. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the tomatoes, chilli and olives.</li> <li>Cook for 2 minutes until warmed through, then transfer to the pie dish with the lamb and stir to combine.</li> <li>To make the polenta crust, preheat the grill to high.</li> <li>Meanwhile, pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to a simmer.</li> <li>Gradually whisk in the polenta until combined.</li> <li>Cook the polenta for a further 3 minutes, whisking constantly.</li> <li>Stir in the butter and parmesan, then season.</li> <li>Working quickly, spoon the polenta evenly over the lamb mixture and smooth out. Using a fork, scrape lines in the polenta.</li> <li>Grill for 5 minutes or until lightly golden.</li> </ol> How do you like to put a new twist on an old favourite? Share your tips with us in the comment section below. Written by Olivia Andrews. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>. Have you ordered your copy of the Over60 cookbook, The Way Mum Made It, yet? Featuring 175 delicious tried-and-true recipes from you, the Over60 community, and your favourites that have appeared on the Over60 website, <a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/way-mum-made-it-pbk" target="_blank">head to the abcshop.com.au to order your copy now</a>. Related links: <a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/05/chicken-and-vegetable-winter-pie/">Chicken and vegetable winter pie</a> <a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/05/beef-and-spinach-filo-pies-with-mint-yoghurt/">Beef and spinach filo pies with mint yoghurt</a> <a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/04/shepherds-pie-sweet-potato-topping/">Shepherd’s pie with sweet potato topping</a>

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Indulge your sweet tooth with lemon polenta cake

Cheesy polenta with meatballs

Meat Free Week Recipe: Braised mushrooms by Rowie Dillon

Peach & orange blossom polenta upside-down cake

Polenta chips

Lamb and eggplant pie with polenta crust