Chef Matthew Jansen, owner of Mateo and Radda in Boulder, Colorado, took a rather circuitous route to becoming a restaurateur.
He grew up in Boulder and earned a B.A. in journalism at the University of Colorado while also getting a sommelier certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers. After a stint cooking at fine dining establishments in California, he came home to Colorado and opened Mateo Restaurant Provençal in October 2001.
Here’s Jansen’s recipe for Crispy Polenta a la Puttanesca and it’s vegetarian and gluten-free. The polenta can be served with any variety of pasta sauces. Puttanesca can also be served on any type of pasta.
Mateo’s Crisp Polenta a la
Puttanesca
Polenta:
4 1/2 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup grated Reggiano-Parmigiano cheese
1 1/2 cups polenta
Sauce:
1 1/4 pounds whole peeled tomatoes
3/4 cup shallots, minced
1/4 cup nicoise olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup green Sicilian olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup pepperoncini, chopped
2 tablespoons red chile flakes
1/4 cup capers
For plating:
Extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan shavings
To make polenta: Bring vegetable stock, butter, salt and bay leaf to a boil. Slowly whisk polenta into boiling stock, making sure the consistency is smooth. Add Parmesan. Reduce to low heat and cook for 30 minutes. Pour creamy polenta onto a sheet tray about 3/4-inch thick. Refrigerate polenta in sheet tray until completely cold and firm. Cut polenta into 3/4 inch cubes and remove from tray with a spatula. Fry inn vegetable oil until crispy or brush with olive oil and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes until warmed and crisped.
To make puttanesca sauce: Sweat shallots in stock pot until soft and cooked through. Combine remaining ingredients in stock pot and slowly simmer for 1 hour. Cut tomatoes with the spatula while occasionally stirring the sauce. Salt to taste.
To serve: Place a cup of sauce at the base of a bowl. Place 12 to 14 cubes of crispy polenta over the sauce. Top off with a drizzle of olive oil and Parmesan shavings. Makes four to six servings.