Cosy Night In Ottolenghi Polenta Cake Recipes

COSY NIGHT IN: OTTOLENGHI POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Lightly butter a 9 inch round springform cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Make sure that your parchment paper is longer than the sides to catch any syrup that may leak over (you will also want to put a catch tray under your pan in the oven.)
• Have a small cup of water by the side of the stove with a pastry brush at the ready.
• Put the sugar for the caramel topping in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the 2T of water. Gently stir to dampen the sugar evenly and then place over medium heat. Slowly bring the sugar to a boil.
• If the sugar has separated on the side of the pan use your wet pastry brush to brush down the sides of the pan making sure the sugar doesn't crystalize.
• After a few minutes, the water should evaporate the sugar will start to turn golden. Keep your eyes on the sugar at all times since it can easily burn at this point.
• Once your sugar is a nice golden color, remove the pan from the heat. With your face at a safe distance from the pan, add the butter.
• Stir with a wooden spoon until the butter is incorporated.
• Pour the caramel into the lined cake pan and quickly swirl it around the base so that it coats the entire bottom surface evenly.
• Zest 2 oranges and set aside
• Cut off the top and bottom off of each orange and peel off the skin using a sharp knife following the natural circular shape of the orange and peel off the remaining skin and all the white pith.
• Cut each orange horizontally into 6 slices. Remove the seeds and lay the slices tightly over the caramel. (You might need to peel and slice another orange to cover the whole space.)
• Now move on to the cake batter.
• Preheat your oven to 325° F.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
• In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together lightly. Make sure they are combined well but do not incorporate too much air into the mixture.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the eggs. Next add the reserved orange zest and the orange blossom water, followed by the almonds, polenta, and sifted dry ingredients. As soon as they are all mixed in, stop the machine.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan, making sure
• Place the batter into your cake tin. Take care to not move the oranges much. Level the batter with an icing spatula and place in the oven, over a catch tray. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until a cake tester/toothpick come out clean.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.
• While the cake is still hot (warm it up a little if you let it sit too long, otherwise the caramel will stick to the paper), place a cardboard disk or a flat plate on top. Briskly turn over and then remove the pan and the parchment paper. Leave the cake cool completely.
• To make the glaze, combine the marmalade and water for the glaze in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Sieve the glaze and brush on top of your cake.

HERBY POLENTA WITH CORN, EGGS AND FETA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/200 degrees Celsius.
• Add the corn to a food processor and pulse once or twice, just until roughly chopped. Transfer corn to a large bowl and add the spinach, cornmeal, Parmesan, scallions, 1/4 cup cilantro, parsley, dill, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a good grind of pepper; stir to combine. Transfer this mixture to a large, deep, oven-proof skillet, then add the milk, stock and butter, stirring gently to mix through. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and give everything a good whisk.
• Return to the oven and bake until the cornmeal is cooked through and the mixture has thickened, about 20 minutes. Give the polenta another good whisk - it should be quite smooth and not completely set - then stir in half the feta. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees Fahrenheit/220 degrees Celsius.
• Use a dinner spoon to make 8 shallow wells in the polenta. Crack an egg into each well and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining feta all over, and bake until the egg whites are cooked and the yolks are still runny, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the reserved scallions and cilantro in a bowl with the oil. Spoon this mixture all over the polenta and eggs and sprinkle with the red-pepper flakes. Serve directly from the pan.

CHEESY BAKED POLENTA IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut out a piece of parchment paper about 16-by-12 inches/40-by-30 centimeters in size and lay onto a clean work surface.
• Prepare the polenta: Add the milk, garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper to a medium saucepan. Bring to a bare simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and slowly pour in the polenta, whisking continuously, until completely incorporated and there are no lumps. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring all the while with a spatula. When cooked, the mixture should pull away from the sides of the pan and be quite thick.
• Add the Parmesan, stirring for another 30 seconds to melt. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to the parchment paper. Use your hands to quickly shape the polenta into a large cylindrical shape, about 13-inches/32-centimeters long. Use the parchment paper to help you tighten the cylinder and then gently roll the whole thing in the paper, tightening as you go, then twisting in opposite directions at both ends. Refrigerate to set for about 1 hour, or longer if time allows.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Add the olive oil to a large, ovenproof cast-iron pan that is roughly 11-inches/28-centimeters wide, and heat over medium-high. Once hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes, or until softened and lightly colored.
• Stir in the garlic, red-pepper flakes and oregano, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, sugar, a scant 1/2 cup/100 milliliters water, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. Turn the heat down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Set aside until needed.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/230 degrees Celsius.
• Gently unwrap the chilled polenta and transfer to a cutting board. Trim about 1 inch/2 to 3 centimeters off the ends and then cut the polenta into 24 (1-centimeter-thick) slices.
• Top the tomato sauce evenly with the sliced fontina, then fan out the polenta slices, overlapping slightly, so that they're spiraled to cover the top, leaving a 1-centimeter gap from the edge of the pan. Drizzle the polenta with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until polenta is golden in places and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes to settle.
• While the polenta cools, in a small bowl combine all the topping ingredients. Sprinkle a handful of the topping over the polenta and serve the remaining in a bowl alongside. Serve warm.