Recipe of the Month: Polenta Chips
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This month, our in-house yogi chef, Natalie Smikle, offers up this moorish delight, adapted from the Easy Vegetarian Cookbook.
These chips are delicious and make a worthy substitute for the traditional potato variation. I munched my way through a bowl of these during our Teacher Training graduation lunch – a lunch that marked the ending of one chapter and the beginning of a new – and therefore I felt inspired to recreate this as the first recipe for the blog.
To keep this dish truly vegetarian you can leave out the Parmesan cheese and it will still taste amazing. If you’re gluten intolerant be sure to use gluten free flour in the recipe.
Ingredients
1 Litre / 1¾ Pints of water
1 Garlic Clove, crushed,
10g chopped Thyme / Chives / Rosemary
55g / 2oz Parmesan, grated (optional)
55g / 2oz butter
250g / 9oz quick-cook polenta
Flour or coarse semolina seasoned with salt and pepper, for dusting
Vegetable / Sunflower oil, for frying
Salt and Pepper
Method
1. Bring the water to a boil in a large pan with the garlic, herb of your choice and butter.
2. Add the polenta and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the mixture is thick.
3. Stir in the parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour the mixture into an oiled shallow tray about 25cm x 20cm / 10in x 8in and spread out using an oiled palette knife – don’t worry if the surface is uneven.
5. Allow the polenta to cool completely or you can leave it to rest overnight.
6. Remove from the tray and cut into sticks 6 cm x 2 cm.
7. Coat in the seasoned flour / semolina and shake off any excess.
8. Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and deep fry in small batch for about 5 minutes, turning once to ensure the chips are evenly crisp and golden brown on both sides.
9. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.