Recipes

Vegetarian Slimming & Vegetarian Health

Polenta Rounds with Roasted Peppers & Basil Low Fat, Low Sugar
Serves 4

40 minutes plus, depending on whether you use fresh or bottled red peppers – and whether you make polenta rounds in advance.

Beautiful to look at and delicious to the tastebuds!

Top tip - you can cook the polenta the night before, form it into 4 rounds and leave to cool in the fridge, which will save time when cooking the following evening.

• 175g/6oz/1 heaped cup polenta
• 1 tsp salt
• 600ml/20fl oz/2½ cups water
• 2 large sweet peppers or half a large jar of roasted red peppers in brine.
• 4 sprigs basil

1. Put polenta into a pan (preferably non-stick) with the salt.
2. Add the water, a little at a time – stirring to make a smooth mixture.
3. Bring to boil, stirring as it thickens, then turn heat down low and leave to cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
4. Use a heat diffuser under the pan if you have one.
5. Spread mixture into four 20cm/4 inch circles, using small plates – lay on a baking tray.
6. Leave to go cold and firm.
7. Meanwhile, prepare red peppers if using fresh. If using peppers from a jar, ignore stages 8-10.
8. Cut them in half, remove core and seeds and put the halves, rounded sides up, on a baking tray or grill pan.
9. Cook under a hot grill for 10-15 minutes or until peppers tender and skin blackened in places.
10. When they have cooled a little, remove the skins if you wish.
11. Cut peppers into little strips.
12. Heat grill, then transfer polenta rounds to the grill pan – or a baking tray that will fit underneath grill.
13. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until tops are crisp and browned in places.
14. Turn over and do same for about 10 minutes, until crisp.
15. Place some pepper strips on each polenta round and top with the basil leaves.