Polenta Balls with Chickpea Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 onions
• 1 Garlic clove
• 1 stalk leek
• 300 g zucchini
• 480 g Chickpeas (canned; drained weight)
• 400 g cherry tomatoes
• 4 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp apple syrup
• 2 tsp Tomato paste
• 400 ml Vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Ras el-Hanout
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 4 tbsp sesame seeds
• 800 ml vegetable broth
• 300 ml orange juice
• 2 Garlic cloves
• Salt
• paprika powder (sweet)
• a pinch chili powder
• 1 tsp apple syrup
• 200 g instant polenta
• 1 tsp unprocessed orange zest
• 4 tbsp margarine

Instructions

1. 1.

   Peel and dice the onions and garlic. Wash, trim, and slice the leek into thin rings. Wash, trim, and cut the zucchini into about 1 cm cubes. Drain the chickpeas, rinse them, and let them drain. Wash the tomatoes.

2. 2.

   Add oil to a large hot pan and sauté all the vegetables for about 5 minutes while stirring. Drizzle with apple syrup and stir in the tomato paste. Add broth and simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Then add lemon juice and Ras el-Hanout, seasoning with salt and pepper. Finally fold in parsley.

3. 3.

   Toast sesame seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Remove and set aside. Combine broth and orange juice in a pot, press in peeled garlic cloves, season with salt, paprika, and chili, and bring to a boil. Stir in apple syrup and sprinkle in polenta. Cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes while stirring until thickened. Mix in orange zest, margarine, and 2 tbsp sesame seeds. Taste the polenta.

4. 4.

   Arrange the vegetables on plates and use an ice cream scoop to form polenta balls on top. Sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds and serve.