young garlic with tomato polenta (serves 4)   8 garlic bulbs (The garlic for this recipe should be freshly harvested. So young, tender and mild in flavor that you can eat the skin around each clove. ) 5½ tablespoons olive oil 1 2/3 cups white wine 12 shallots 4 cups vegetable broth 7 oz. (not quite a full cup) cornmeal 4 oz. dried tomatoes (in oil) 2 tablespoons capers salt, pepper 2 rosemary stalks 4—5 sage stalks 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. (200° C.) Place the garlic bulbs in a baking dish. Sprinkle with olive oil and ½ cup white wine. Bake in the middle of the oven for 90 minutes. Pour in half of the remaining wine after 30 minutes and the rest of the wine after 60 minutes. 2. Add the peeled shallots after 45 minutes. Throw in the rosemary and sage after 85 minutes. 3. Bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Season with salt and slowly pour in the cornmeal, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Cover and let the polenta simmer over very low heat for about 45 minutes. Stir well every 10 minutes or so. 4. Meanwhile drain the dried tomatoes and save the oil (about 5 tablespoons). Cut the tomatoes into thin strips and return to the 5 tbls. oil. 5. Drain the capers. Five minutes before the polenta is done mix in the tomatoes and capers, and season with pepper. 6. Cut the garlic bulbs sideways in half and serve on warm plates with shallots, herbs and polenta. A good light red wine goes well with this. back