Lentil Meatballs with Chickpea Polenta and Greens

I’m not one for faux foods. You’ll never see me take a Brussels sprout and disguise it as a Swedish meatball, but every now and again, I long for some of the foods of my youth and then I create plant-passionate versions of those foods to satisfy my nostalgia. This is one of those dishes.

Makes 10-12 balls

Ingredient List:

• 1 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed well
• ½ red onion, diced
• 4-5 oil-cured sundried tomatoes, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6-8 oil cured black olives, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 5-6 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs
• 4-5 sprigs fresh flatleaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• Gravy
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove fresh garlic, peeled, left whole
• Pinch sea salt
• 2 cups canned tomato puree or crushed/diced tomatoes
• Sea salt
• Generous pinch dried oregano
• 2-3 sprigs, fresh basil, leaves removed from stems, shredded

Step By Step Instructions:

Place the lentils, onions and sundried tomatoes in a saucepan with 3 ½ cups of spring or filtered water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover; reduce heat to low and cook until all the liquid has absorbed and the lentils are quite soft, about 40 minutes. Set aside to cool before proceeding. (You may cook the lentils ahead of time.)

When the lentils have cooled, mash them lightly with a fork. Mix in olive oil, olives, and soy sauce. Slowly add breadcrumbs, mixing to form a stiff mixture that holds together to form the balls, but is not dry. Fold in parsley and season lightly with salt. Form the mixture into ‘meatballs’ (about the size of a golf ball) and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 350° F to set them.

While the meatballs bake, make a quick tomato gravy and chickpea polenta. Place a small amount of olive oil, along with the garlic in a deep skillet over medium heat. When the garlic begins to sizzle, remove it from the pan and discard. Add tomatoes, a pinch of salt and oregano. Bring a boil; reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Season lightly with salt and simmer 2-3 minutes more.

Make the chickpea polenta as you would any polenta. Place ½ cup chickpea flour in a sauce pan with 2 cups water over medium heat. Whisk constantly. When the polenta boils, add a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Cook on low heat, stirring often until the polenta is creamy and the center ‘heaves,’ about 20 minutes.

Finally, place a small amount of olive oil in a skillet with some thin red onion slices over medium heat. Sauté with a pinch of salt for 1 minute before stirring in 3-4 leaves lacinato kale, finely sliced. Cook, stirring until the kale just wilts. (Note that you can use any leafy green here, from broccoli rabe to collard greens.)

To serve, place meatballs in the tomato gravy and garnish with fresh basil and serve with polenta and sautéed greens. Serve hot.