Venetian Stew

Nigella Says

There is an old Venetian Dish called, in dialect, Manai, that is the inspiration for this. And I emphasize the word “inspiration”: Manai, which broadly speaking involves polenta with beans, bacon and local raisins, is the fruitful starting point for my pink-hued stew, with its beans and bacon and radicchio (my innovation, but it does come from Venice), echoing the cinnamon-rose colours of the palazzo that line the Grand Canal.

I suspect that the original stew would have used speck (think along the lines of smoked bacon) rather than unsmoked pancetta, but either will do. If you can, though do buy a good Italian can of borlotti beans as the juice they come in us usable; the gloop in cheaper supermarket own-label brands can be disconcertingly smelly and frankly unfit for consumption. Still, if the only beans you can find need to be rinsed vigorously, you will have to add more water to make sure the beans are covered as they cook. That in turn will make for a runnier stew, so maybe mash some of the beans at the end just to help thicken it.

I adore this salty stew ladled in bowls over a mounded pile of sweet yellow polenta. Though some unsalty Italian bread with it is enough for me; either way, this is pretty well instant, soothing and substantial supper.

I Say

I made this dish without the instant polenta I used already made polenta as I couldn’t fund the instant sort in my supermarket so I just grilled some and served it alongside some vegetables and the stew and it worked well.

The dish was nice the most hearty of stews I have had and I couldn’t obtain Radicchio either so I used chicory which I felt still worked in the dish.

The cumin gave the dish the real flavour I would do it again if I wanted something quick but I wouldn’t rush to do it again.

Serves 2

Ingredients

Stew

25g Raisins

125ml Boiling Water

2 Tsp Garlic Oil

150g Pancetta cubes or diced speak or jamon Serrano

1 banana shallot, finely chopped

½ tsp ground cumin

1 x 400g can Borlotti Beans

½ heard Radicchio (approx, 125g) finely shredded

For the Polenta

675ml Water

1 tsp Sea Salt

½ tsp pouring salt or to taste

100g instant polenta

2 x 15ml tbsp grated parmesan

1 x 15ml tbsp (15g) unsalted butter

Method

1.      Put the raisins into a cup or bowl and pour the 125ml boiling water over them

2.      Put 675ml water in a pan for the polenta and set it on to boil

3.      Heat the garlic oil in a heavy pan and cook the pancetta cubes for 3-5 minutes, stirring every now and again,, then add the chopped shallot and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the pancetta is bronzed and the shallot soft.

4.      Stir in the cumin (not Italian, but Venice was the hub of the spice trade so I allow its inauthentic addition) then add the raisins with their soaking water and let it buddle up before tipping in the borlotti beans and their liquid (but see introduction above if your bean gloop is unusable).

5.      Bring to the boil, then add the shredded radicchio and, once the stew starts bubbling again, turn off the heat, put on the lid, and get on with the polenta.

6.      Add salt (to taste) to the now bubbling polenta water, then stir in the polenta, pouring it into the pan in a steady but gentle stream, and cook till smooth and thickened, I use more than the usual ratio of water to polenta here, as I want the finished polenta creamy not set. Once it is cooked, take the pan off the heat and beat in the Parmesan and butter, seasoning to taste. Decant into a warmed serving bowl.

7.      Check the bean stew seasoning, then bring it to the table with the golden polenta.