Swallow the Yellow Brick Food!

Pomodorini, Okra e Fagioli Neri con Polenta Gratinata

Tomato, Okra and Black Bean Cobbler with Polenta

Nope, this ain't Kansas- and those cobble-stones are not dumplings either- they are yummy polenta! I made this little dish of stewed okra, cherry tomatoes and black beans with the remainder from the dishes of the last couple of days... typical for me I know! But you know what? I just love to "wizard-up" something delicious out of nothing- to me, that is what real cooking is all about!

So don't go clicking you heels together and disappearing just yet! Although, this is almost as easy to make as that! Come along then my little munchkins and I will show you how to make this hearty little meal- probably more suited to the fall... but then again- maybe you havent heard how dreadful our Summer is turning out to be...

I started this dish off by frying some chopped bacon rashers in a dry pan... you know my methods by now! Once the bacon is well done, but not yet crispy and brown, set it to one side and add your cubed polenta to the pan and sautée it gently with a little chopped garlic and a twig of rosemary to give the polenta plenty of flavor. Season with salt, pepper and a hint of nutmeg and then set this also to one side.

Now add the okra and cherry tomatoes, plenty of finely chopped parsley, some sage powder and a little more chopped garlic. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes and then add a tablespoon of tomato paste. Stir-in the paste, fry gently for a minute or two and then deglaze with 1 cupful water.

Once you have added the water, you can go ahead and add the black beans too. Season with basil, rosemary, chili flakes, oregano, salt, pepper and a little nutmeg.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish and then spread some polenta around on top. Into a hot oven it went for 10 minutes to bake and an additional 4-5 minutes under the broiler to brown. This is just simple, hearty, good-time food! I sure hope you like it!