Polenta Tarte Flambée

Ingredients

• 750 ml/3 cups water
• 160 g/1 cup polenta
• 100 g/1 cup grated courgette/zucchini
• 50 g/⅓ cup finely diced onion
• 70 g /½ cup finely grated smoked tofu
• 2–3 firm tomatoes
• olive oil for sprinkling and serving
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• sea salt and crushed black pepper
• fresh basil, to garnish

Method

Generously oil a 35-cm x 25-cm/14-inch x 10-inch casserole dish or baking pan.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Bring the water to a boil, add ½ teaspoon sea salt and whisk in the polenta. Lower the heat, cover and let cook for 15 minutes. There’s no need to stir.

Lightly salt the grated courgette/zucchini, let sit for 5 minutes and then squeeze out as much of the water as you can.

Add the onion, courgette/zucchini and grated smoked tofu to the cooked polenta and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the polenta mix into the oiled casserole dish or baking pan, evening the surface with a spatula or wet hands.

Slice the tomatoes into 5-mm/⅕-inch thick slices and discard any excess juice and seeds. Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer over the top and sprinkle with olive oil, salt, dried basil and crushed black pepper to taste.

Bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown and until the tomatoes are well baked and sizzling. Let it cool a little, and then slice and serve with fresh basil, a generous splash of olive oil and some strong-flavoured tomato sauce or mock tomato sauce to make this dish more juicy.

You can make variations on this recipe, topping the polenta with thin slices of courgette/zucchini, (bell) peppers or aubergine/eggplant instead of tomatoes.

Bon appétit!