Fennel, Borlotti Bean and Polenta Bake

This recipe if from Linda Majzlik, a vegan taste of Italy. I used dairy parmesan rather than vegan parmesan which is called for in recipe. Polenta isn’t something I use very much, in fact it was so hard to find the ground corn flour to make it. Corn flours are used a lot in the Mediterranean and American cooking. Now this should not be confused with the corn flour (or corn starch) that we use to thicken things. Polenta comes in various grains, course, medium and fine. I like to use coarse and if I require it any finer I give it a wiz in my Kenwood chef. I eventually found a large kilo bag of coarse polenta in an Asian supermarket for under £3. Polenta is funny substance as technically a corn flour it is not free on slimming world. Per cooked 28g or ounce it has 1 syn. So I would hate to calculate the syns for this dish. It tastes good though and it is low fat.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 6  ounces fennel (trimmed and sliced)
• 8  ounces borlotti beans (cooked)
• 4  ounces button mushrooms (wiped and sliced)
• 1  onion (peeled and chopped)
• 2  garlic cloves (minced)
• 400  g chopped tomatoes (tinned)
•  low-fat cooking spray
• 1  tablespoon tomato puree
• 1  tablespoon pesto sauce
• 2  bay leaves
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fennel seed
•  black pepper
• 50  ml  vegetable stock

• For the polenta

• 6  ounces polenta
• 1  teaspoon sage (rounded)
• 1  teaspoon parsley (rounded)
• 1  tablespoon parmesan cheese (rounded)
• 900  ml water

Directions

1. First cook the polenta:.
2. Place water in large saucepan and bring to the boil. Mix the dry polenta with sage, parsley and parmesan. Gradually add this dry mix to the boiling water, whisking all the time to prevent lumps.
3. Lower the heat and simmer stirring frequently and cook for 10-15 minutes until the mixture thickens.
4. Spoon the polenta into a lined baking tray, flattening it with the back of a spoon to create a layer that is 2 cm deep. Place this tray in the fridge or cold place whilst you prepare the rest of the bake.
5. Heat low fat cooking spray in a large frying pan and add the onions, garlic and fennel and cook for 10 minutes add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Transfer mixture into a shallow baking dish. Cut the polenta into small triangles and arrange these on top of the veg. Sprinkle with a little more parmesan and bake in preheated oven at gas mark 4 until golden.