Warm Polenta and Chick Pea Salad
Moving house takes it out of you, but in the six weeks that have passed since we saw our now-home for the first time, we’ve accomplished a lot. Those accomplishments have not been culinary! Thanks to the kindness of friends and neighbors we have enjoyed many a meal as guests and I have been out of the kitchen a little more than usual. When we have been home, dinner has had to accomplish two goals – sustenance, and emptying the closets of the food we have so not to move it to our new home. Necessity is the mother of invention and my warm polenta and chick pea salad didn’t even last long enough for me to take a photograph!
This dish couldn’t be simpler, and it would make a wonderful appetizer, something a little different, light enough to open a meal or filling enough if you have a larger portion. I don’t cook with polenta all that often but recently it has become quite a friend of mine.
Here’s what you need:
- Half a log of Polenta
- One cup of chick peas
- Basil
- Cilantro
- Garlic
- Salt
Really, that’s all you need! Dice your polenta, and put it in a skillet with a little olive oil, allow it to start to brown. Drain your chick peas and add them too. Then add fresh garlic, cilatnro and basil. I used cubes of frozen Dorot herbs that we picked up last time we were in Costco and they worked a treat. Allow for the herbs to defrost and keep stirring the polenta and chick peas until everything is golden brown, then serve – sprinkle with some sea salt to taste.
There’s a fresh, spring-time flavor to this dish and from start to finish (and I mean consumption!) this can take as little as fifteen minutes. Not sure what to make for dinner next time you’re in a rush? Try this, you’ll love it!
Thank you Reid Bee for the create commons photo.
