Polenta is one of those things that has definitely fallen out of fashion but I love it, not as a mashed potato style side but made firm and then fried and served with a variety of sauced from tomatoes to creamed fungi…..and maybe a shaving of truffles. Yum!
The secret to cook polenta is plenty of seasoning. Parmesan helps but if you are vegan you can substitute this for nutritional yeast which has a cheese flavour but is totally vegan.
The polenta and sauce can be prepared in advance and refrigerated for 1-2 days until needed.
Serves: 4 as a side or appetiser or 20 fries
5 a day: 2 per 5 fries
Time: Half an hour + setting time
Ingredient
Polenta
- 100ml dry white wine
- 1 crushed clove garlic
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- Generous handful for rosemary, main stem removed and finely chopped
- 125g dried polenta/cornmeal
- 50g parmasan or 10g nutritional yeast
- 1 tbs olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Dipping sauce
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 200g tomatoes, chopped
- 1 chilli, finely chopped
- Pinch of sugar
- Squeeze of lemon
- Salt and pepper
Method
Line a small baking dish with grease proof paper.
In a medium saucepan add the wine and bring to the boil until reduced by half.
Add there stock, garlic, rosemary olive oil, polenta. Heat on a low heat beating rapidly until it starts to thicken. Add the Parmesan and season. Pour into the baking dish. Allow to cool and then chill until solid.
To make the salsa fry the onions until soft, add the chopped tomatoes and chilli and allow to cook for a few minutes. Add sugar and lemon. Puree till smooth and season to taste. Allow to cool and refrigerate until needed.
When your polenta is firm, brush generously with olive oil and cut in to fries. Either cook in an oven preheated to 180C for 15-20 minutes until golden or griddle until heated through. Serve with the salsa.
