Ingredients (serves 4):

Polenta pieces:

  • 300 ml of stock
  • Sea salt
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely diced
  • Zest of ¼ organic lemon
  • 2 sprigs each of rosemary and thyme
  • 60 g polenta
  • Olive oil 

Tonda di Chioggia:

  • 2 bulbs Tonda di Chioggia beetroot (candy beetroot)
  • Sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar 

Cauliflower:

  • 1 cauliflower
  • Boiling salted water

Hollandaise:

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon light miso paste
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon wasabi
  • 140 g melted butter
  • 8 Kalamata olives, cut from the stone
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic cream
  • Cress and fresh herbs for garnishing

Marinated Tonda di Chioggia beetroot

Preparation:

  1. Season the stock with plenty of salt. Add the garlic, lemon zest, rosemary and thyme and bring to the boil. Then let it marinate for 15 minutes. Take out the herbs, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and stir the polenta into the stock. Bring to the boil while stirring for 4-5 minutes and leave it to soak. Pour the mixture into a flat dish and leave to cool for 2-3 hours. 
  2. Peel the Tonda di Chioggia and cut into thin slices. Add salt and marinate with the oil and vinegar. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Break the cauliflower into florets and cook in salted water until done. 
  4. To make the hollandaise, mix the egg yolks with the miso, lime, soy sauce and wasabi in a metal bowl. Whisk until light and fluffy over a hot bain-marie until the egg starts to thicken. Slowly stir in the melted butter and continue to stir until the sauce has thickened. Warning – do not leave the sauce on the bain-marie without stirring. Leave to cool.
  5. Preheat the oven grill. When the polenta is firm, cut out crescents and brown in olive oil. Sprinkle the cauliflower with a little hollandaise sauce and bake under the grill. Marinate the olives with the balsamic cream.
  6. Arrange the Tonda di Chioggia on plates. Top with the cauliflower, olives and polenta pieces. Serve immediately.


Tip: You can also use normal beetroot if you can’t get hold of any Tonda di Chioggia beetroot. If desired, sprinkle a few crispy croutons over the plates for some added crunch.