Mexican polenta with griddled veg & avocado cream
main | vegan
Buttery polenta cooked slowly is the base for this mix of spiced veg topped with cool and creamy avocado cream.
Prep 10 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 2
Ingredients
750ml water
150g polenta
1 onion
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 garlic clove
2 chillies
2 tsp olive oil
1½ tsp paprika
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 avocado
1 lime
45g butter (or vegan spread)
Method
- Pour 750ml water into a high-sided pan. Bring to the boil. Trickle in the polenta, whisking as you go. Once it’s all in, turn the heat down low and cover. Cook for 20-30 mins, stirring now and then with a wooden spoon, until the polenta is thick and pulls away from the side of the pan as you stir it.
- Peel and slice the onion into wedges. Halve the peppers. Scoop out the seeds and white bits. Slice into finger-length pieces. Peel and crush the garlic. Finely chop 1 chilli. Put them all in a bowl. Add 2 tsp oil and 1 tsp paprika. Season and turn to coat in the oil and spices. Set aside.
- Halve the avocado and discard the stone. Scoop out the flesh and place it in a bowl. Halve the remaining chilli and flick out the seeds. Finely chop it and add to the avocado with a squeeze of lime juice.
- Mash the avocado till smooth. Taste and add more lime juice or a pinch of salt and pepper. If you have a small food processor, you can blitz it all together to make a super smooth cream. Set aside.
- Warm a griddle or frying pan till it’s hot. Add the veg. Fry for 10 mins, turning the veg now and then, till they are charred and soft. Take off the heat.
- Chop the butter into the polenta and stir well to melt it. Taste and add a little more salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
- Spoon the polenta into two warm bowls. Top with the griddled veg and spoonfuls of the avocado cream. Sprinkle with ½ tsp paprika to serve.