The perfect polenta chips
Serves 4
650ml vegetable stock
125g polenta
50g finely grated parmesan or other hard, strong cheese
3tbsp finely chopped chives
50g polenta, to coat
Extra virgin olive oil, to fry
Line a small baking dish with baking paper. Pour the stock into a medium pan, add 125g of polenta, bring to a simmer and then whisk until smooth. Simmer, stirring all the time, until it thickens and starts to come away from the side of the pan.
Stir in the cheese until melted, then add the chives and pour into the baking dish, smoothing it into a flat layer – it should be about 1.5cm thick. Allow to cool completely, and then chill until solid.
Cut the polenta into chips of your desired size. Put the remaining 50g of polenta into a shallow dish, then turn each chip in it to lightly coat. Put the oven on low.
Cover the bottom of a frying pan with oil, and put it over a medium-high heat. Fry the chips in batches until golden brown on all sides, then drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven until all the polenta is used up. Serve hot.
Quick saffron polenta bake
Warming, saffron-scented polenta is double-cooked here – once in the pan and then finished under the grill with a scattering of squash, kale and feta. The feta crispens and the squash burnishes as the polenta finishes cooking. I love the warming sunny flavour of saffron, but it can be pricey. If you don’t have any at home, you can make this without it, or use another herb, such as thyme or oregano. It won’t taste the same, but it will add another dimension to your polenta.
Serves 4
A pinch of saffron strands
750ml hot vegetable stock
150g coarse polenta or cornmeal
50ml olive oil, plus a little extra for sautéing veg
Salt and black pepper
250g piece of butternut squash, skin removed
1 head of kale (about 180g) or other winter greens
A small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely sliced
100g feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
1 unwaxed lemon, zested
A handful of toasted pine nuts
A small handful of rocket
1 Dissolve the saffron threads in the hot stock. Put the stock into a heavy bottomed pan over a medium heat and slowly pour in the polenta or cornmeal, stirring as you go. Keep beating until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble, which will take about 5–6 minutes. Stir in the olive oil, season to taste with salt and black pepper, then pour into an ovenproof dish.
2 Use a speed peeler to slice the squash into thin ribbons. Separate the kale leaves from their woody stalks (discard the stalks) and finely shred the leaves. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and sauté the squash, kale leaves, garlic and thyme leaves until wilted and crisp at the edges. Season to taste, then set aside. Preheat the grill to high.
3 Scatter the kale and squash mixture over the polenta, then top with the feta and lemon zest.
4 Put the dish under the hot grill for 10‑12 minutes, or until the squash has begun to brown and the feta has browned and crisped with the heat. Allow the polenta to cool for a few minutes before dressing with pine nuts and rocket. Serve in the middle of the table so that everyone can dig in and help themselves.
Creamy polenta with charred mushrooms (main picture)
The earthiness of the mushrooms and bitter notes of the radicchio make this recipe the perfect thing to eat with naturally sweet polenta.
Serves 4
2 heads of radicchio
6 large portobello mushrooms or other wild mushrooms
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves
Small bunch of marjoram or oregano, leaves picked
6 tbsp olive oil
Salt
For the polenta
150g (about a mugful) of polenta or cornmeal
25g good butter
50g freshly grated parmesan (I use a vegetarian one)
A big handful of watercress
Salt and black pepper
1 Fill the kettle with water and bring it to the boil. Cut the radicchio into quarters, then put the pieces into a large, shallow dish. Add your mushrooms. If you’re using large mushrooms, cut them in half before adding these to the dish.
2 In a small bowl, combine the red wine vinegar, garlic, marjoram or oregano, olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Mix well, then pour over the radicchio and mushrooms.
3 Get on with your polenta. Pour 1 litre of boiled water from the kettle into a large pan over a medium heat. Slowly add the polenta in a steady stream, whisking as you go. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the polenta thickens a little, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes until cooked, stirring frequently (at least every 5 minutes) to make sure that it doesn’t stick or go lumpy. The polenta is cooked when it has lost its grainy texture and feels smooth.
4 Add the butter and parmesan to the cooked polenta, then season to taste with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
5 Heat a griddle pan over a medium heat. Remove the mushrooms and radicchio from the marinade, allowing any excess to drip off back into the shallow dish. Reserve the marinade. Griddle the mushrooms and radicchio until they have become charred and soft throughout – about 3-4 minutes on each side. Once cooked, chop them very roughly and put them back into the marinade.
6 When everything is ready, ladle the polenta into bowls and top with the radicchio and mushrooms, another grating of parmesan and a small pile of watercress.