Warming Sweet Potato & Mushroom Polenta with Tomatoes
I hadn't thought polenta could be baked before reading it in Alice Hart's The New Vegetarian - it's a wonderful, effort-free way to cook the grain. This recipe is an homage to hers, albeit with garlicky mushrooms and soft, quick roasted tomatoes as a topping.
Ingredients
- Polenta: 150g
- Vegetable Stock: 400ml
- Olive Oil: 3 tablespoons
- Sweet Potatoes: 300g, peeled and cut into 5mm chunks
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Mini Portobello or Chestnut Mushrooms: 300g, sliced
- Cherry Tomatoes: 250g, halved
- Garlic: 2 cloves, crushed
- Sea Salt: 1 teaspoon
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Dressing
- Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley: 15g, finely chopped
- Lemon: 1, juice only
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 2 tablespoons
- Chilli Flakes: 1/2 teaspoon
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6.
- Line a roasting tin with baking paper, then tip in the polenta, vegetable stock, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the sweet potatoes. Stir, season well with black pepper, then transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together the parsley, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and chilli flakes for the dressing.
- Stir the mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and another tablespoon of olive oil together and set aside.
- Once the polenta has had 40 minutes, take the tin out of the oven and give it a good stir. Top with the mushroom and tomato mixture and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, after which the mushrooms should be softened and the polenta crisp. Serve with the dressing alongside and a green salad.
Notes
- Serves 2
- Prepare 10 minutes; cook 55 minutes.