Polenta + spicy tomato sauce

March 10, 2009 at 6:12 pm 1 comment

polenta1 Every time I make polenta I ask the same question: why don’t I make this more often? It’s so fast! So easy! So tasty! Our polenta tonight was topped with a spicy tomato sauce I made earlier in the week. I also added some chunks of tofu to the sauce. Much to my surprise this is still “delicious” to meat eaters. Wonders never cease.

Polenta:
Boil 4 cups water in a saucepan. Pour in 1 cup of cornmeal. Stir with a wooden spoon and turn the heat down to medium low. Cook for 5 minutes (sometimes less!) until it has the consistency of porridge. Dish out into bowls and cover with sauce or topping of your choice. If there is an extra, spread it in a pan or pie plate. Let it harden and store in the fridge. When you’re ready to use it, cut it into blocks, saute or bake and add sauce or other toppings (mushrooms, steamed spinach and grated cheese, chopped veggies…the options are endless). This is enough polenta for 4 people.

Spicy tomato sauce:
1 medium onion, finely diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
1 block of tofu, diced (my perfect tofu is Soya Nova medium-firm, purchased through Spud.ca)
2 tbsp dried Italian spice mix (oregano, parsley, etc)
1/2 tsp paprika
1 red pepper, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 large can of crushed organic tomatoes
2 cups water
fresh parmesan cheese for grating on top of sauce

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add mushrooms once onion is soft and golden. Add in tofu and spices and stir. Add in red pepper and celery. Pour in tomatoes and water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes and serve on polenta or whole grain spaghetti (use brown rice pasta for gluten-free). Sprinkle a generous amount of parmesan on each serving.

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