Polenta Torte with Pesto and Vegan 'Cheese'
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
Polenta with lots of goodies like caramelized onions, pesto, and a nut-based vegan cheese.
Ingredients
  • For the caramelized onions:
  • 2 large onions, chopped (about 1½# of onions)
  • 4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • For the pesto:
  • 5 oz. basil leaves (2½ cups very tightly packed whole leaves). This is about the amount of leaves you get from two 4 oz. packages of basil packed with the stems and leaves)
  • 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • For the 'cheese' layer, blend in a high-powered blender:
  • 1 cup macadamia nuts and 1 cup pine nuts (or 2 cups of either one)
  • 2 Tbsp. mellow white or chickpea miso (any light miso)
  • juice of 2 small or one extra large lemon (about 4 Tbsp.)
  • ½ tsp. yogurt starter (powder)
  • For the polenta:
  • 5½ cups water
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1½ cups coarse polenta
  • (caramelized onions)
  • To grease the pan:
  • 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
  1. Chop the onions, put in a large frying pan with the olive oil, begin slowly caramelizing them at a low heat on the stove. It will take about 40 minutes on a gas stove, stirring occasionally.
  2. Meanwhile, pick the leaves off the basil stems, measure, combine in blender or food processor with olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, salt. Process until combined with a medium texture.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  4. Make the vegan 'cheese' by combining the macadamia and/or pine nuts, miso, lemon juice and yogurt starter in a high-powered blender. Stir with tamper (for a Vitamix) or stop the blender and scrape down the sides a few times to get the mixture smooth.
  5. Prepare springform pan by greasing it with olive oil.
  6. Bring water and salt to a boil, add polenta. If you are using La Estancia polenta, stir for 2 minutes. If you are using regular polenta, stir for five minutes, then simmer, stirring every 5 minutes or so, for about 30 minutes until polenta is soft.
  7. Stir caramelized onions into polenta.
  8. Put half of the polenta into the springform pan.
  9. Add the pesto layer, then the 'cheese' layer.
  10. Top with the second half of the polenta.
  11. Bake until firm, about 40-50 minutes.
  12. Let stand for at least 20 minutes in the springform pan after baking to let the torte set (longer is better). Or cool and save to unmold and re-heat later.
  13. Unmold and serve.
Recipe by Fit and Fed at http://fitandfed.net/2013/03/30/polenta-torte/