Crispy Polenta with spinach & leeks...

…poached egg, sautéed mixed mushroom, pea puree.

Serves 4

Prep Time: Overnight chilling for the polenta, 40 mins cooking

Ingredients

for polenta:

400ml water
100g quick-cook polenta
1 ½ tsp. butter
3 tbsp. grated parmesan
½ tsp. rock salt

Method

for Polenta:

To make the polenta, put the water and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Gradually add the polenta, stirring all the time until combined. Reduce the heat, as polenta does tend to bubble quite a bit, beat very energetically until the lumps have dissolved. Stir the polenta with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes until it starts to come away from the pan, remove from the heat, add butter and parmesan and mix well. Pour into a greased small tray to set, smoothing to make it as flat as possible. It should be a 2cm thickness. Allow to cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 250 C, then cut out two rounds with a food stack ring or egg ring. Place the polenta on a greased baking sheet, brush it with olive oil and bake until crispy and browned. You can also deep fry it or pan-fried.

For the poached egg:

Make sure your eggs are fresh by placing in a bowl of water. The fresher the egg the more it will float to the top.

Add vinegar to a pan of steadily simmering water. Crack eggs individually into a ramekin or cup. Create a whirlpool in the water to help the egg white wrap around the yolk. Slowly tip the egg into the water and leave to cook for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain onto kitchen paper.

for Pea puree:

Thaw 200g frozen peas and put them in cool water for five minutes.
Strain the peas, and add them to a blender with a dribble of cold water. Add additional water as needed and blend to a smooth puree. Season the puree just before serving.