Asparagus Polenta Bake

I know that the Austrian asparagus season is almost over but my friends cooked this for us the other day. It was simply delicious and is definitely worth a try. I’m just blaming the lovely weather for not posting it earlier.

Portions: 1 tray (4 adults)
Cooking time:

What's in it: Polenta is made of corn, so it is rich in complex carbohydrates and dietary fibre. Asparagus provides a good variety of important vitamins with great health benefits including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant-promoting and bone-building effects.

Ingredients:

• 1 litre milk
• 250g polenta flour (cornmeal)
• 2 handful parmesan cheese, grated
• 500g mixed asparagus (white and green)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 150g cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
• 200g Mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 80g sliced Parma ham
• Salt, pepper, sugar
• Handful fresh basil leaves

Preparation:

1. Bring milk to the boil and whisk in polenta flour. Cook gently for 1-2 minutes and season with salt and nutmeg.
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread the polenta mixture onto the tray.
3. Preheat oven to 180C.
4. Sprinkle polenta base with a handful of grated cheese and set aside to cool.
5. Peel white asparagus, trim ends and cut all asparagus into 3-4 cm pieces.
6. In a large frying pan, heat a few drops of olive oil and fry garlic and asparagus very gently. 
7. Add cherry tomatoes and sprinkle, season with a pinch of salt and sugar and spread onto polenta base.
8. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella slices.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
10. To serve, add Parma ham and sprinkle with fresh basil leaves.

Not suitable for freezing and re-heating.
Polenta base can be prepared in advance but vegetables should be cooked fresh.


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About this blog
This blog is about family cooking. It's important to get together for family meals. Here I'm posting healthy family recipes that kids and adults will love and make cooking for the family more fun. All my family recipes are well balanced and healthy family recipes but they can be tweaked for fussy eaters or spiced up for a more sophisticated adult palate. In addition to the healthy family recipes, I'm publishing some of my knitting and crochet patterns for toddler toys and accessories.