Creamy Polenta

with Awesome Bolognese

Sometimes the simplest techniques make the biggest impact. Whisking cornmeal with just a little water before you start cooking guarantees a creamy polenta without lumps. Browning the seitan and the vegetables first means deeper flavors as well as lots of fond (those crusty bits in the pan); deglazing with wine or water afterwards incorporates all that delicious richness into the final sauce. For not a lot of work, the end result—sprinkled with roasted cashew bits and fresh basil—is greater than the sum of its parts: we don’t call it Awesome Bolognese for nothing.