The Polenta:
- Mind the directions on the package — it’s something like a quart of liquid and between 1¼ and 1½ cups of polenta meal.
- I use chicken stock for my liquid. For now, I’ve got Better than Bouillon stock-making paste. It has a noticeable celery flavor.
- Follow your directions and salt and pepper, etc.
- When that’s all done, I stirred in a little more than a half a small container of ricotta cheese. It must be about a cup.
- It was good then, and creamy.
- But, I let it sit. So it firmed up.
- So, I reheated it and stirred in milk until it was smooth and creamy again. This will also make sure it never firms up.
The Fennel:
- I sliced up all of the bulb part of the fennel that I had. I guess it was about ¹⁄3 of the bulb.
- In a large bowl, I whisked together a little orange juice, some white balsamic vinegar, honey, and salt.
- I tossed the fennel slices in the mixture, then let it sit there while I forgot about it and did other things. Not long.
- As time came to pass, I drained the fennel and grilled it for 6-7 minutes under the microwave-combo oven’s “grill” setting.
The Mushrooms:
- I sliced the portobello caps about ¹⁄3″ thick.
- Then, I brushed each side with a melted butter & olive oil mixture that was blended in a pan that had been just used to sauté garlic (for a side dish that I’m not going to write about), there was still a little bit of garlic in the pan.
- Salted and peppered.
- Then, I grilled the mushroom slices much as I had done for the fennel, 7-8 minutes in the microwave-combo oven on “grill”.
Assembly:
- I toasted some walnuts in a frying pan.
- Well, first I burnt some. Then, I toasted another batch.
- I crumbled the walnuts roughly.
- I coarsely chopped a couple of handfuls of flat leaved parsley.
- First, lay down big blob of polenta.
- Second, sprinkle liberally with parsley.
- Third, spread grilled fennel slices over the top.
- Fourth, prettily arrange grilled portobello slices over top of all that. Yes, I said “prettily”.
- Fifth, sprinkle over with toasted walnuts.
