It’s been a while since I posted a polenta bowl recipe. I never realized I had such a thing for polenta bowls, but they tend to make frequent appearances on this site, and I guess it’s been a while. Relatively speaking anyhow. I got a craving recently and decided it was about time for more polenta. It is winter after all, and what better meal to enjoy than a piping hot bowl of stewy goodness over some creamy grits. So, let’s talk about these bowls! The polenta part is pretty simple — I generally stick with my trusted formula of dried polenta cooked in a mix of broth and non-dairy milk. That gives the polenta a nice balance between savory flavor and creamy texture. I bet the stew portion of this recipe would be excellent over some pan-fried polenta from a tube though, so if you want to give that a try, go for it and let me know how it turns out. For the stew portion of the dish I was going for something hearty and flavorful. You can’t go wrong with cauliflower and chickpeas when you’re looking for hearty, so that’s what I picked. The sauce is where all the flavor comes in. Roasted red peppers and fire roasted tomatoes are key! You get lots of smoky flavor by using them. And then I spiced the stew with some paprika, cumin and a little bit of cayenne for heat. What was I going for here? Moroccan-ish? I’m not really sure, but in any event the flavors are delicious together: smoky and savory with just the right kick.
