Seasonal stodge

It's not been a reassuring week, has it? Headlines, quarantines, R rates and all. The Rule of Six has bugger all impact for a rule-observing solo householder, but nonetheless. Oof. 

Fortunately, as well as Accidental Fritter Week, I managed to schedule late summer comfort food just when it was needed. I used not to be a big polenta-lover, having met it in Bergamo where I was a picky kid and it was just enormous gooey vats of gloop. Suspicious, I was. But I've been converted by quick-cook polenta and how tasty you can make it. 

This week, with roasted tomatoes, from the Little Library Year. I roast toms regularly, but this is a specific way of doing it... which ideally you'd do the night before, it turned out when I checked the recipe over a tea break. Thank heavens for homeworking, hmm? Super easy: just slice big tomatoes in half, a bit of oil and seasoning, and roast for 45 mins at about 200 degrees. But then switch the oven off and leave the door open, letting them dry out as long as possible. I only managed to put them on about 4pm, so they can't have had more than 2 hours drying time, but even that was worthwhile. It gets away from really squishy wet hot tomatoes, which isn't my favourite thing. 

Dress with thyme and balsamic vinegar when you're ready. Lush.

Many hours after doing the tomatoes, and just before you want to eat: polenta. Just quick cook polenta into a mix of boiling stock and milk [watched hawklike, it's a bugger for boiling over], stirred with plenty of butter, seasoning and a smidge of goat cheese, or in this case spare feta. It's been a very feta-y week, as well as the frittering issue. Oh well.

Quick cook polenta is very quick indeed, so you'll want to be ready to mix it all immediately. And then serve. A pile of squidgy, slightly savoury warm polenta, and a sharp-sweet herby tomato mix on top. 

It's not all bad.