I wondered what would be a beautiful gift for Susan, my wife, for her birthday, which was January 8. And what is a beautiful recipe to share?
Flowers are always beautiful. And I bought her a bouquet when I went grocery shopping earlier in the day for her birthday dinner, pictured below along with birthday cards to her from my sisters (on the left) and a card from me (on the right).
Susan has been asking me to make this recipe ever since she saw it in The New York Times. It is from Yotam Ottolenghi. He is the restaurateur and chef-owner of seven delis and restaurants in London, as well as the NOPI and ROVI. He is also the author of several bestselling cookery books, including Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, Plenty, Jerusalem and Simple. He has been a weekly columnist for the Saturday Guardian for over 15 years and writes a monthly column in The New York Times Magazine.
I have made several of his recipes and I have always been delighted in the dish.
From The NYTimes: “Packed full of umami, roasted mushrooms and tomatoes are coated in a fresh, fragrant Sichuan chile oil and served on top of creamy polenta in this midweek dinner hit. The oil can be made ahead, and will continue to develop in flavor. Make extra, as you’ll want to drizzle it over your eggs in the morning. Try using a variety of mushrooms — some oyster mushrooms torn into chunks, or portobellos cut into thick slices — but do make sure to slice them to the same thickness so that they cook evenly as they roast. The mixture is perched on a very simple polenta, but feel free to add butter, milk and cheese to it for a bit of extra indulgence.”
I did use a variety of mushrooms and I did add butter, milk, and Parmesan. And WOW!!! An amazing taste sensation!
Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper flakes or 1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly crushed in a mortar and pestle
- ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, lightly crushed in a mortar and pestle
- 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes
- 5 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, plus 1 scallion for garnish, thinly sliced at an angle
- Salt
- 1 pound mushrooms (any combination of oyster, portobello, trumpet or baby bella mushrooms), cut into ¼-inch strips or slices
- 1¼ cups/170 grams quick-cooking polenta
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
- Heat the oven to 475 degrees.
- In a small pan, heat ¼ cup of the oil and the cinnamon stick over medium-high for 5 minutes, until the oil is hot and the cinnamon stick is lightly bubbling. Add the ginger, Aleppo pepper flakes, garlic, soy sauce, cumin and Sichuan peppercorns and cook for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat and leave to marinate.
- Mix the tomatoes and 1-inch scallion pieces with 1 tablespoon of oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt and roast on a baking sheet for 20 minutes, until lightly charred. Set aside.
- While the tomatoes roast, toss the mushrooms with ½ teaspoon salt and the remaining ¼ cup oil and spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Set in the oven along with the tomatoes to roast for 15 minutes, turning halfway through, until lightly golden and cooked through. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, bring 4 ¼ cups water to a boil over high heat. Add the polenta and 1 teaspoon of salt and whisk until the mixture comes back to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 2 minutes, whisking regularly, until the mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for a few minutes.
- Remove the cinnamon stick from the chile oil and gently reheat the oil for 1 minute over medium heat, until loosened.
- To serve, pour the polenta onto a lipped platter, then scatter the mushrooms and the tomato mixture over. Top with the hot oil, thinly sliced scallions and the cilantro.
Here is Susan about the enjoy the Spicy Roasted Mushrooms with Polenta. I served a Baked Dijon Tarragon Turkey Cutlet with it.
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