Polenta towers with grapefruit bechamel and goat cheese bon bons with ‘nduja, pine nuts, and fennel seeds

Ingredients

For the towers:

• 500 g La Veronese® Organic yellow Polenta Veloce®
• 1 litre water
• EVOO to taste
• Salt

For the Béchamel sauce:

• 100 g La Veronese® rice flour
• 100 g butter
• 1 litre milk
• 1 grapefruit
• Nutmeg to taste
• Salt and pepper

For the cheese Bon bons:

• 4-6 goat cheeses
• 100 g pine nuts
• Fennel seeds to taste
• ‘Nduja, soft spicy sausage
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

In a pot, salt the water that will be used for cooking and drizzle the polenta in. Cook on low heat for about 5-8 minutes, stirring constantly. Once the polenta is cooked but still soft, layer it between two sheets of baking paper and roll out with a rolling pin. Make a rather thin sheet of it and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least 30minutes, for half that time in the freezer.

Prepare a roux for the Béchamel sauce, melting the butter over low heat, then adding the flour a little at a time, stirring carefully and constantly to prevent clumping. Squeeze half the grapefruit and add it to the Béchamel. Continue the sauce by adding milk, salting, and finally adding pepper and nutmeg.

In a non-stick frying pan, already warm, toast the pine nuts and fennel seeds for a few minutes.

Mix the goat cheeses, the ‘Nduja sausage,  salt, pepper, and mix well with your hands. Then create little round balls, which you will roll in the toasted pine nuts and fennel seeds.

As soon as the polenta is cool, create from it irregular dough pieces which you will crisp either in the oven or in a frying with a drizzle of EVOO.

To serve, layer on a plate the polenta dough pieces with the grapefruit Béchamel sauce, the grapefruit pulp freshly chopped, and the grapefruit zest. Serve alongside the goat cheese Bon bons in a spoon.