Ye Olde Renaissance Thanksgiving Recipe
As we embark upon the week where we give “thanks,” we thought that we could provide you with a recipe that you can use to supplement your meal. Although Thanksgiving is a relatively young holiday, it does not mean that we can not include dishes from an older time. A combination of new and old can enhance any meal.
Today’s recipe is an old Italian dish that was originally found on a poem written by Petrarch. Italy was the birth place of the Renaissance. This dish can be used as a side dish for your feast.
Sun-dried Tomato and Olive Polenta
Ingredients:
~ 1 cup instant polenta
~ 4 cups vegetable broth
~ 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
~ 2/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
~ 2/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomato
~ 1/3 cup sliced kalamata olive
~ ½ cup sliced fresh basil
~ ¼ cup olive oil
~ ½ cup flour
- Boil the vegetable broth; once boiling, stir in the polenta. Let mixture simmer on low heat while stirring frequently for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan, feta, tomatoes, basil, and olives.
- Once you’ve stirred in the ingredients for step 2, put the mixture in a greased cake pan and spread the mixture evenly. Press down if necessary.
- Let the mixture firm up in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours.
- Once firm, cut the mixture into slices (about 16 slices total) and coat them in flour, taking care to shake off the excess.
- Fry the floured polenta in olive oil until nicely browned, then drain on paper towel.
Enjoy! If you are running with a Renaissance theme for your Thanksgiving meal, do not forget to have your servers bring forth the food in their wench outfits. Have a nice holiday!